Fairytales? This is the Story of Tsunderella!
by Kagaya Daydreams
Summary: Arthur Kirkland has made a teleporter... that only works 3 times. After his scared intern wishes him luck, he goes through it to find another world. Apparently mythological creatures roam the lands, everyone basically depends on magic! He's mistaken for a girl a princess, no less and hyper blond knight relentlessly annoys him! How will he get back?
1. Chapter 1

**Congratulations readers! For those who are unaware, this fanfic is the winner of the poll I posted (about a miilion years ago!) Here's the entire summary:**

_Hetalia, Pairing: USUK, Arthur Kirkland is very important to the government, he's created an invention that's teleports an individual to another location. Unfortunately, you can only go through it three times, and no one has yet to test it out. Arthur's unwilling intern wish him luck and sent him to an alternate **universe** instead.__ It seems that magic is real, the locals have an odd meaning for the word 'marking', and oh yeah, he looks EXACTLY like the missing princess of this world's kingdom. Not to mention he met a very hyper-active blond who has taken quite a liking to him. So many adventures...but Arthur just wants to go home!_

**Just a heads up, this "Tsunderella" story won't have much in common with the Cinderella story! Enjoy the fanfic: Forget Fairytales...This is the Story of Tsunderella!**

** I'm kinda nervous... but I'll do my absolute best!**

* * *

_**May 9th**_

_The trial runs of the teleportation device is going well. We have a one-sixth scale model of it. We tested inanimate, manmade objects: a number 2 wooden pencil, a watch, and a_ _thumb-tack_.

_Procedures: Push the objects through the opening of the model teleporter_

_Results: All objects disappeared, no affirmation that they were in a different location nor is there any affirmation that they are still in their original form._

_-Dr. Arthur Kirkland_

_**July 13th**_

_Variables have been changed, I am now testing to see if I'm able to control the destination. The teleporter will be on one side of the room and the objects will reappear on the opposite side. The scale model is now double the size of the previous one. Same materials were used._

_Procedures: See May 9 notes._

_Results: Successful, will now move on to living creatures._

_-Dr. Arthur Kirkland_

_**August 21st**_

_Small animals such as lizards, caterpillars, and rodents are being used. Scale model is approximately 2 ft. tall. This time the destination will now be in a forest 50 miles away. I have a co-worker on stand-by in said destination. Specimens have red tags on them._

_Procedures: Let the animals enter the teleporter on their own._

_Results: Animal were found in the forest. No abnormalities or mutations to record. Tags were removed. The real teleporter can now be created, will use humans for the next one._

_-Dr. Arthur Kirkland_

Arthur put down his notepad, any other scientist would be happy with such exceptional developments and positive results. Though this one, was not. Truth be told, Arthur had no intention whatsoever to become a scientist, he wanted to be a writer, he liked to read books and wanted to make one of his own. During his time in college, his major was Creative Writing. His minor, Science Technologies. The main reason that he was where he was now is because he won a science fair. Apparently it revolutionized the way scientist believed space and time functioned.

Arthur graduated college at the young age of 18, now, at the age of 23, he was the most well-known scientist in the English science society. He sighed and left the titanium room with no windows, light (unless the light was turned on,) or atmosphere. Arthur went into the one of the bathrooms in the research labs he worked in, he turned on the sink, splashed some water on his face and looked into the mirror.

Same short, choppy, blonde hair, unmanageable eyebrows, green eyes, and a new addition, a sleep deprived expression. It was late, and he needed to get home. Honestly, what was he doing here? The sheer absurdity of this invention that's being developed so you can go from one place to another. Didn't the human civilization have something for that already? Like cars, planes, trains…isn't that their job?

Personally, he believed that someone could die of a heart attack if some stranger appeared in front of them without a hint of warning. Arthur grumbled profanities to himself as he opened the door to his red Camry, slammed the door shut, and pulled off. When Arthur arrived to his house, he was greeted by his cat, a small furry thing, who shared his owner's trademark eyebrows. The beige cat hat a brown patch of fur around his eye. Arthur gave him the simple name of Tom, since he was a male cat.

Arthur dragged himself upstairs, set his alarm for 3:30 am, and fell onto his bed without worrying about changing into pajamas. He fell asleep almost immediately, snoring the whole time. Only when Arthur was extremely tired he would snore in his sleep, which was often. It wasn't loud, just… distinctive. Tom took this time to jump onto Arthur's bed and fall asleep along with him, he decided that it would be fine if he was fed in the morning.

(*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~)

Arthur's alarm sounded, notifying the entire house that it was 3 in the morning. With his eyes still closed, the blonde flailed one hand around the air looking for the nightstand, once he found that, Arthur smacked his hand on the surface of the piece of furniture, finally, he turned off the alarm. He bolted upright, accidentally knocking his cat off the bed. Tom mewed reproachfully and retreated to the kitchen, the tiled floor seemed like a better choice to sleep at the moment.

Arthur quickly made himself some breakfast that consisted of toast and tea or to explain it more realistically, charcoal and tea. The blonde checked his watch, it was already 4:08 am. Suddenly, a chill went up his spine when he opened the front door, it wasn't cold outside. Quiet the opposite actually, though it was still dark outside, given the time, there was only enough cold air to maybe have on a very light jacket. He climbed into his car and sped off.

"Red is the color you **stop** at, bloody wanker!" Arthur yelled viciously as a car ran a light and nearly caused Arthur to crash into him.

(*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~)

"Maybe I should get someone else to test this for me…" Arthur stood in front of the teleporter. It towered above him at around ten feet tall. It was large and a metallic type silver, that would be smooth to the touch, if not for all the bolts and circuits protruding from it. Basically, it looked like the symbol for, _Omega, _with lots of cords all around it. In the middle of the circular contraption, there was a green and blue like plasma (well that's what it looked like anyway.)

"This is no time to be reluctant about things, old boy," he told himself. "The coordinates are set. The other experiments went without a hitch. Why shouldn't this one do the same?"" Arthur was trying to clam his nerves. There could be so many things that could go wrong. The teleporter could possibly malfunction, like it wouldn't balance the speed at which he was traveling and his mass together, then he'd be stuck in that void forever. Or he would appear at another place with a deformity.

"Dr. Kirkland!" Arthur's assistant stumbled through the door, dropping documents he held as he did so.

"Aaron! You're dropping things again!" Arthur scolded. "What is it?"

"Um…" Aaron thought, he picked up the fallen papers, "Is it today? Are you going to a parallel universe?"

"Yes and no." Arthur answered. He pulled down a lever and turned to Aaron. "Yes, I'm going through the teleporter. No, I'm not going to another universe. That's not what this thing was made for."

"I know sir, but it would it would cool if we had some evidence to back up the parallel universe theory. We'll revolutionize science itself!" Aaron beamed then began babbling about the parallel universe theory and how it tied with the string theory.

"Honestly Aaron, I have no idea why you aren't heading this project," Arthur praised, "you have much more gusto than I do."

Aaron blushed a little at the complement, "Thank you, sir. Um, I have to tell you something that I found out about the portal."

"Yes?" Arthur said passively, he turned a couple knobs.

"You can only go through it three times." Aaron informed him. "Overall, no exceptions. It's very dangerous, I'm kind of worried about you."

Arthur tousled Aaron's brown hair, "Listen lad, I'll be fine. It wasn't made for traveling to different universes, just places here on Earth," the blonde stepped up to the teleporter, "If I'm not back within 24 hours… try and figure out where on the Earth I am, then bring me back." With that being said he went through.

"Wait! Dr. Kirkland!" was the last thing Arthur heard from his assistant.

To use an old cliché, Arthur wasn't in London, England anymore. Currently he was in some dark void, there was no light, and yet there was also no dark. Or at least that's what he thought he perceived. The color that surrounded him was not on any color wheel, nor has he ever seen it on a paint canvas. Was it even a color? He tried to call Tom, but not one sound would escape his lips. Suddenly, cold air blew all over his body. It was evident that he was moving forward, at a very high speed. Arthur shut his eyes, it was starting to sting.

(*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~)

"Hello?" Arthur called uncertainly. The only type of response he received was the echo of his own voice. He stood up and cupped his hands around his mouth, "Anyone here?"

Just then, a girl with an extremely intricate, frilly, and bright crimson dress ran at a super high speed right past Arthur. She almost knocked him over trying to get by.

"Outta my way, bloody peasant!" she called, turning her head back for a quick second, then continuing on her trek.

Arthur only got a quick look of her facial features, and he noted in his mind, that she looked exactly like himself, _if_ he was female of course. He decided that he would go in the opposite direction of the way that the girl was going. If she had such expensive looking clothes, then surely there was something that lied beyond the forest.

Arthur came upon a large kingdom that was completely red. He found the entrance, it was closed, and guarded by two people, who were clad in red armor and spears. The blonde gulped audibly, and approached the guards who immediately became suspicious.

"State yer business and maybe we won't decide to kill ya!" The guard on the left ordered, his voice was raspy, like he smoked hundreds of packs of cigarettes a day.

In Arthur's opinion, he was anything but intimidating. The guard on the right elbowed the raspy-voiced guard. It made a loud clanging sound.

"Don't you recognize the princess when you see her?" The guard on the right asked impatiently. He sounded younger, maybe in his late twenties, but truthfully, his age was a mystery.

"Princess? She looks... different." The first guard replied. "Jus' this mornin' she 'ad longer hair, was wearin' a dress, and was inside the kingdom gates."

The second guard whispered lowly, "She probably just used a transformation spell, she's been experimenting with that kind of magic lately."

The young guard apologized and opened the kingdom doors. Arthur gave them an awkward thanks and went in. The entire kingdom was seriously, completely red. But not just one shade of red, there were different hues that made up different buildings, some where borderline pink, and others a borderline purple.

The street was red, covered in scarlet stones, and maroon pavement. The people who walked these streets had simple red outfits. Arthur received a lot of stares, since he _was _wearing a white dress shirt and black pants. Not an inkling of red to be seen anywhere. Well, except his cheeks, that were beginning to tinge a type of red from the unwanted attention.

He was spotted by a guard who quickly approached him, he was out of breath. His hands were on his knees. "Princess Anne, you need... to come back to the kingdom... at once! His Royal Majesty requests your presence!"

Arthur was starting to get more than a little annoyed at being mistaken for the opposite gender, "I am not Princess Anne, or whomever you bloody believe I am! My name is Arthur Kirkland! If you cared to notice, I am _male,_ not female! What's more, my physical features are more masculine than feminine! Now if you would excuse me, I would like to leave this blasted kingdom!"

The guard sighed, and tossed Arthur onto his shoulder, "Princess, you've been messing with transformation magic again, haven't you?" Another sigh. "Elizabeta'll have to change you back after you see your father…again."

(*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~)

"Anne Marie Kirkland!" Arthur's so-called father (and king of whatever the name of the kingdom was...) bellowed loudly. "Where have you been? The entire army has been searching for you!"

"I'm not from here! My homeland is England! My name is not Anne Marie! I'm Arthur Kirkland, a Londoner who appeared here on some kind of accident! I don't know where I am! This certainly isn't planet Earth from what I've observed!" Arthur defended.

The king sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose, "Anne, you've really been rebelling a lot lately. It's taking a toll on your poor father. Draining your clothes of their reddish color, I can handle. Trying to escape the kingdom, I can handle. But what I absolutely **cannot** tolerate is letting you change your appearance and then have you deny your lineage as a member of the Royal family of the Kingdom of Hearts. Or do you forget about your birthmark on your neck that shows that you are part of this kingdom?"

Arthur flinched at his words, he didn't know anything about this guy, but he learned something at that moment, the King was a person to be feared. Wait, what was that about a birthmark?

"Ve~ I've brought tea, Your Highness! It's Earl Grey, your favorite!" A dainty looking maid entered the throne room. She had long brown hair that reached to the middle of her back, with a flyaway curl and chocolate brown eyes. She had a small red choker around her neck. Everything about her just radiated happiness, and yet there was something peculiar about the maid. Something was just a little bit off. "Princess! Ve~ I see you were using magic again!"

"Feliciano, please take Anne to her room." The King said softly, taking a sip of the tea.

"Yes sir, Your Highness!" Feliciano curtsied oddly. "But first, do you think that I should take her to Miss Elizabeta to change her?"

"Yes, Feliciano, please do so." The King waved his hand.

Feliciano asked Arthur to follow him to Elizabeta's room.

"Feliciano, was it?" Arthur asked as said girl led the way. "I was wondering if you believe that I'm the pri-"

"You're not the princess." Feliciano said cheerily, "I can tell, easy."

"How?" Arthur asked, astounded that someone finally believed him.

"Annie has a very odd habit, she often walks around with her hand covering the left side of her neck! It's because that she's marked with a heart" Feliciano explained.

"_Annie_?" Arthur questioned.

"Yeah, you'll come to find that she has many nicknames. She really hates this place, the Kingdom of Hearts. I completely understand… behind the cheery façade this kingdom is a harsh, brutal, and horrible place…" Feliciano trailed off when he realized he was starting to expose his true thoughts. "Ah! I forgot to ask, what _is _your name?"

"Arthur, Arthur Kirkland. I would like to ask you a question, and please don't get offended when I say this but, are you... a boy?"

Feliciano stopped walking altogether, he turned around, and grabbed both of Arthur's hands and squeezed them tightly. The blonde looked at the Feliciano with wide eyes.

"That's so cool! Even though you're not the Annie, you might as well be! When she first met me she figured out that I was a boy instantly, too! Though this _has _to be a secret! You can't tell anyone, or I'll get kicked out the castle, and that wouldn't be a good thing!" The brunette was seriously smiling. "Ve~ this is Miss Elizabeta's door!"

To Arthur's surprise, the door was black and not red. It looked so out of place, but in a good way, it gave the hallway some individuality.

"_Ciao_, Miss Elizabeta!"Feliciano greeted when he swung open the door.

Elizabeta nearly dropped the beaker she was currently holding. Arthur took in his surroundings, it was a room akin to a dungeon, like the door, the walls of the room were completely black as well. There was a small ceiling fan, it was brick red, and the only source of light. He noticed that the room was a science lab, not a room that you'd live in.

"Feliciano!" Elizabeta squealed, she put the beaker down safely, removed her goggles, and proceeded to embrace the boy. She let go of him after a short while and greeted Arthur as well.

"Welcome, stranger! My name is Elizabeta Héderváry, the lone scientist in the Kingdom of Hearts," she removed her gloves and gave Arthur a firm handshake. "It's nice to meet you."

Elizabeta had long brown hair, like Feliciano, but her hair was a sandy brown. She wore a pink flower as an accessory. Currently, she had on a red lab coat and goggles.

"Likewise madam, my name is Arthur Kirkland. I am also a scientist, but I'm from London. Tell me, Elizabeta, do I look like someone that's familiar to you in any way?"

Elizabeta put her hands on her hips, "Don't take offense to this Arthur, but you look exactly like Annie if she were a guy, but I haven't lent her any spell books, potions, or chalk for summoning things so you can't be her… come to think of it, I haven't seen her at all today," Elizabeta folded her arms. "it's odd."

"She's run away." Arthur answered, "When I first arrived, which was outside the kingdom by the way, she nearly knocked me down and said, 'Outta my way, bloody peasant!"

"That's Annie." Feliciano and Elizabeta said in unison.

"But everyone other than you two are convinced that I'm Princess Anne, and used magic to turn myself male, which I find completely absurd considering the fact magic isn't real." Arthur sat down at a nearby table and rested his head in his hands. He sighed softly. "I just want to go home. This experiment was a bust."

"Hmm…" Elizabeta hummed curiously, she strode to the table and lifted up Arthur's chin and turned it to the left. "You have a single, heart birthmark on your neck. It's the sign that you are purebred," Elizabeta concluded. "and can pass as Princess Anne Marie Kirkland. I'll just tell the King that the 'spell' won't wear off for a while. Until I tell you differently, your name is Princess Anne." Elizabeta winked. She then mumbled something unintelligible and blew some type of dust into his face.

Arthur blinked in total surprise then collapsed after a moment or two. Elizabeta picked Arthur up, and shoved him into the hands of Feliciano.

"Relax, Feli. It's just some sleeping dust, a certain _someone_ will be there to wake him up in the morning. Arthur's confused enough about our kingdom, so do me a favor, try to get him on the right page tomorrow, 'kay?" Elizabeta said returning to her table full of chemicals.

"S-sure… Miss Elizabeta."

* * *

**Life is good for me! I won 2nd prize in the C-SPAN StudentCam documentary contest and got $1500. It was awesome! People have been congratulating me for weeks now! I got a shoutout on the radio, I was in the newspaper, and on the news! I'm like WOW! I didn't think winning 2nd prize would be such a big thing!**

**I wonder what happens to the Grand Prize Winner...**

**I'll have the next chapter up soon! Promise... maybe... I dunno.**

**The next chapter will be uploaded soon! Thanks for reading!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Lately, I've been really occupying my time with fanfiction and acting. Since I really don't have to worry about school, with it being the end of the year and all. I recently auditioned and go a callback for _The Color Purple _for the Red Mountain Theatre Company and I'm eagerly awaiting the results! It's going to be a musical! Lalala~  
**

**Also I'm graduating- I mean, "promoting" from middle school May 23rd (apparently we don't graduate until we're in high school and/or college, so says my teacher) I'm stoked! I'll be freshmeat! I mean FRESHMAN! GEEZ! At a Fine Arts school! For Theater Arts!**

**Once again...**

**Stoked!**

**Summer Va-ca is on the wa-ay! That means people will be churning out more chapters! (Including me of course!)**

******I'll be in New Orleans with my Academic/ Scholar's Bowl Team (I love them!) for Memorial Weekend, and I'll be writing some stuff in a composition book! One-shots, multi-chaps, the works. Since I'll be surrounded by guys, I hope they don't try to look in the "Lovely Ideas for Yaoi While Being Bored" journal. It's not like I'd die or anything, they'd just know what's coming up before I post it! (Not that they'll read it, but y'know...I'm paranoid, okay?)**

**Anyway! Thanks for those lovely reviews. I had a couple people PM me about the whole Cardverse AU thingy. Truthfully, I wasn't aware that Arthur was the Queen of Spades and Alfred was the King of Spades, in this fic, things will be different. That is all.**

**Now, on with the chapter!**

* * *

"Anne," a boy with dark blonde (almost brown) colored hair and cerulean eyes walked into Princess Anne's bedroom the room. One might think he was rebellious as well because he wore a brown bomber jacket, "You awake yet?" he approached the bed, gazing at the sleeping form of Arthur. The boy shook Arthur, trying to wake him up, "Wake up, Anne… how long to you plan on sleeping?"

Arthur's brow furrowed for a split second, but then relaxed.

"Hmm…" the intruder stepped back and thought for a moment. "Sleeping dust again," he hovered over Arthur, "Alfred F. Jones knows how to fix that!"

Alfred planted a chaste kiss to Arthur's lips. The sleeping male's eyes quickly fluttered open, and he found himself looking into the eyes of some blue-eyed stranger.

"Wh-wh-wh-wh- what do you think you're doing?" Arthur squealed in utter surprise, he scrambled away until his back was flat against the headboard of the bed. He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. His heart skipped a beat when he realized that he was no longer wearing his lab coat, but a silky electric crimson gown that barely covered his knees.

"Mornin' Princess!" Alfred greeted formally and loudly. "Or should I say," he stifled a laugh, "Prince! You look even _more_ flat-chested than you usually are!"

"Quiet, bloody tosser! I don't know who you are, why you're here, but I highly recommend that you leave!" Arthur pointed a finger at Alfred, who only started to laugh more.

"You really are funny, Anne," Alfred said. "I'll play along, I'm Alfred F. Jones, a very well-known subject of the Kingdom of Hearts.

Arthur rolled his eyes and got off the bed, "Let me put your false assumptions to rest. I am not Princess Anne, never have been. I'm Arthur Kirkland, a scientist from London, England."

Feliciano knocked on the already opened door, "Ve~ Arthur…" he blinked when he saw Alfred. "Ah, I see you've met Alfred."

"Unfortunately." Arthur glared at said boy. "Um, Feliciano. How did I end up in these… er, garments?"

"Ve~ these are the clothes you'll have to wear for the time being…" Feliciano explained, "Is it too small?"

"It fits just fine, but the gown is a bit…short." Arthur admitted, his cheeks turning a bit pink.

"Downright sexy if you ask me." Alfred commented, looping an arm around Arthur's waist.

"Let go, you idiot!" Arthur protested, he began pushing against Alfred's chest.

"Ve~ Alfred, that's not Princess Anne." Feliciano pointed out, " That's Arthur, he's not from here, he came through some kind of portal."

"Is this some kind of weird joke? It's obvious that she was messing around with magic again. I mean, who else has these eyebrows?" Alfred stated obliviously as he parted Arthur's bangs.

Arthur growled dangerously.

Feliciano dragged Alfred out the door, "I'll let Elizabeta explain. Arthur, find something to wear for today, you can't walk around in your pajamas. Just look in the closet."

Arthur was left alone in the room, somewhat disoriented about the entire ordeal. He sat down on the edge of the bed to reflect on what he knew so far about this world.

"_I'm currently in the Kingdom of Hearts, which has some sort of fixation on the color, red. I've been mistaken for a girl, a princess no less. It seems that the majority of the people here are impulsive. Magic can be performed, and I'm sitting here in a dress. Did I miss anything?" _Arthur thought to himself.

He hoisted himself up off the bed and shuffled across the pink carpeted floor. He braced himself on what kind of clothes he would see when he opened the closet door. Arthur took a deep breath and unlocked the door.

Dresses galore. All in varying shades of red of course.

Arthur sighed and grabbed a scarlet dress, put it on, then stormed out his bedroom door. It was a good thing that he was in another world, otherwise he'd never hear the end of it from the people he worked with back in London.

"Tsunderella_-hime, _good morning_," _an unknown person with a strong Japanese accent greeted._ "_Ah, I see the rumors are true, the magic hasn't worn off."

"Um…" Arthur didn't know if it was him the person in front of him referring to… but he asked a completely offhanded question, "Are you Japanese?"

"Japanese? No, I am your butler, Kiku. I have come to get you. Did the magic have side effects?" the stranger looked at Arthur with pure concern. "Are you feeling all right, Tsunderella-_hime_?"

"Why do you keep calling me that? I was led to believe that my name was Princess Anne Marie Kirkland." Arthur said.

"And it is. Please follow me to the music room, you have to attend your piano lessons, we are already behind schedule." Kiku turned and walked away in a very dignified manner.

(*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~)

"… in other words, you kissed Arthur, not Anne," Elizabeta tried to suppress a smile that was starting to creep up her face. She planned the whole thing purposely.

"Exactly, who _is _Arthur, and why does he look just like Princess Anne, and how is it that no one has noticed him?" Alfred asked.

"Arthur is from some place called, Lundin. I'm almost positive that there is no such place. He's a scientist like I am. I don't know why he looks like Annie, and the rest of the kingdom just thinks that Annie was tampering with transformation magic that won't wear off for a while."

"Okay, I guess I can deal with that, but _where_ is she?" Alfred looked in Elizabeta's eyes for answers that she couldn't give him.

"I don't know." Elizabeta said softly.

Alfred sighed harshly, "This sucks. Where could she be?"

"She eloped." Feliciano answered, this caused Alfred to become even more shocked and Elizabeta was thrown for a loop.

"What?" They screamed. Feliciano flinched.

Feliciano pulled up a chair and sat down, he clasped his hands together and placed them on his lap, "Well, there's something Annie didn't _tell _anyone… she loved someone from the Kingdom of Diamonds."

"Prince Gilbert?" Elizabeta inquired.

"No." Feliciano said.

"Prince Ludwig?" Alfred guessed.

Feliciano's heart skipped a beat at the mention of the prince's name, his cheeks tinted a light pink, "NO!" Elizabeta raised an eyebrow. "It's one of the royals."

"No wonder she ran away." Alfred slipped off his glasses and rubbed the lenses with his shirt, "The King wouldn't allow Anne to have a relationship with anyone other than a prince or noble."

"I'm happy for her, I don't want Annie to get caught. She's one of the lucky ones. Although, I'm sorry Alfred, I know you were in love with her." Feliciano looked at him empathetically.

"Was it really that obvious?" Alfred became flustered.

"Let's just say it's a _gift_ of mine." Feliciano smiled humorlessly.

"Alfred! You uh… you should get to know Arthur, just until he figures out to return to… Lundin. Make him feel comfortable, at first I was going to get Feliciano to do it, but you'd be a better choice! You're a little bit more of a people person than he is. Now go, shoo, shoo!" Elizabeta pushed Alfred out the science lab, despite some half-hearted protests.

"Miss Elizabeta… you didn't have to make him leave for my sake." Feliciano said standing up and heading for the door.

"I know, but lately you've been worrying about your curse…" Elizabeta began.

"I'm going back to work." Feliciano got up, smoothed his dress out and headed for the exit.

"Feliciano-"

"Miss Elizabeta, I'm twenty years old, I can handle myself. I made it this far." Feliciano interrupted. "Thank you for worrying about me."

(*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~)

"Bloody piano teacher, bloody nationality confused butler, bloody kingdom…" Arthur grumbled. He had never played the piano in his life, therefore he wasn't any good at it. The only instrument he could play well was the violin, and apparently _that_ didn't exist.

"Anne! Hey!" Alfred beamed brightly. "_He really does look like Anne."_

"You again." Arthur sighed. "Come to kiss me once more?"

"_He acts just like her too."_

"Hey! Are you listening?" Arthur snapped, waking Alfred from his mental notes, he folded his arms around his chest.

"Of course I'm listening, Anne! Why wouldn't I be?" Alfred lied, hoping it sounded natural.

"You were not! I just told you to call me Arthur, not Anne!" Arthur was seriously starting to become annoyed.

"_Arthur_, would you like to see the kingdom?" Alfred didn't really wait for an answer, he picked up Arthur bridal-style, and carried him until they were out of the king's castle.

"Put me down you git! I can walk! I'm starting to question your mental capacity, honestly!" Arthur ranted, he flailed about still trying to escape the iron grip of Alfred.

Alfred finally listened and put the Englishman down. The Brit was so busy yelling he didn't notice where Alfred had taken him. Arthur was completely quiet and looked at his surroundings. They were in some type of forest, standing over a cliff. The skies were a clear bright blue with a couple of cirrus clouds sweeping across.

"This place… it's surreal. Those four castles in the distance… are they all different kingdoms?" Arthur asked.

Alfred grinned, had he piqued the interest of the Anne look-a-like? He took a quick glance at Arthur, who was already lost in his own world.

"The red castle is the Kingdom of Hearts, the blue one is the Kingdom of Diamonds, the green one is the Kingdom of Clubs, and that white one is the Kingdom of Spades." Alfred pointed to each one of them.

Arthur sat down cross-legged, still staring intently at the horizon, "Why is everything only one color?"

Alfred joined him, he stretched out his legs, leaned back, using his arms for support. "Up until about hundred years ago…there were two empires. At this time, the world was black and white, not only in color, but mindset… no color whatsoever. The Kingdom of Industria… were as the name implies, industrious, they grew and built everything they needed themselves. Though they were very selfish and demanded that to get something you had to give up everything. All of their-"

"Wait… in order to get something, you had to give up everything?" Arthur interrupted, "That doesn't make any sense at all!"

Alfred laughed, "Hey, that's exactly what Anne said when I first told her this story!"

"Don't compare me! We're two completely different individuals." Arthur corrected.

"Whatever you say…anyway, all of their products were white, with a small emblem on the bottom, that was different for each family." Alfred continued. "Then there was the Kingdom of Melanasia…they were magic users, they conjured everything they needed. They could create anything they wanted, talked to ghosts, faeries, and other creatures that had spiritual or magical property."

"That can't be true, mythical creatures don't exist." Arthur cut off.

"Certain people can see them. They should be all around. Anne couldn't see them, so you probably can't either." Alfred concluded.

"It's a green rabbit! W-with wings! Do you see it?" Alfred shook his head. "Ah! It's flying around my head!" Arthur was in complete shock. "It's kind of cute…" Arthur suddenly wrapped his arms around something Alfred couldn't see.

"I can't see them either." Alfred pointed out.

Arthur wasn't listening, "This is absolutely mind-blowing! I'm going to call you Flying Mint Bunny. Do you want to come home with me little guy? You're so…adorable!" The Brit squeezed the seemingly invisible creature.

"Whaddya know, you have a cute side." Alfred switched his sitting position, he propped his knees up and rested his arms on top.

"Shut up." Arthur let the winged creature fly off. Though Alfred couldn't see -it was getting a bit dark- the Brit's cheeks were lightly dusted pink.

"It's getting pretty dark, sorry you didn't get a tour. You want to head back?" Alfred asked getting up, he dusted himself off. He offered his hand to help Arthur up.

He accepted, "Thank you."

Alfred turned and walked back to the forest, with Arthur following blindly behind. He couldn't see all that well, with such dim light, but followed the sound of his footsteps. They became more and more distant, was he being left he behind. He called Alfred's name when he couldn't hear him anymore.

"Alfred?" The Brit called again.

There was a sound of leaves rustling, then a huge gust of wind blew, though it felt as though something had just run past him at a high velocity. Arthur heard a low growl, from something that sounded like it would have sharp carnivorous teeth.

Impulsively, Arthur began running, but as luck would have it, his dress snagged onto something. He had no choice but to tear it off and continue. He heard twigs snapping, and low growls, Arthur was certain, it was more than just one. He backed away, and tripped over something furry. Something gripped his arm, he struggled to pull away.

"Hey, it's me! Relax!" Alfred whispered, he hoisted Arthur over his shoulder. "Whatever you do, don't make another sound."

Alfred quickly began running through the forest, not paying attention to the snarls and barks of the creatures pursuing them. Arthur looked behind them, getting a glimpse of wild yellow eyes. The blonde slowed to a jog when he went through the kingdom gates.

(*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~)

"You can put me down…" Arthur tried to keep his voice from shaking. The scientist stood on wobbly legs, trying to keep from collapsing, Alfred monitored his footsteps, slightly worried about Arthur's current state of mind. As he expected, the Brit was in no state to be left alone.

"That's it, I'm sleeping with you. You're scared out your mind." Alfred dragged Arthur to his bedroom in the castle, and gently laid him onto bed.

"That's…not…necessary." Arthur mumbled. He turned over and started snoring lightly.

"Stubborn…" Alfred said. He sauntered out the door, closing softly to not disturb him.

* * *

**Not sure if you would call that an ADVANCEMENT in the relationship, per se, but nonetheless I think the two are closer. Not sure if I should take their relationship slow, since this is my first multi-chap M rated one...**

**I'm practicing writing er... the sexy scenes. Any pointers?**


	3. Chapter 3

Arthur adjusted to his life in the Kingdom of Hearts, it's been approximately a month since the mishap. He often had pangs of nostalgia and wondered and couldn't help but wonder why no one from his world had come to get him.

The Brit was 100% sure that Aaron could fix it if it was broken… so why? Why was he still here?

Arthur met more people than he could handle (much more than at those unusually flashy science convention) though he tried to stay away from the castle's head chef, Francis Bonnefoy. Now that man groped anything that moved, he'd probably fondle fire if he could get a reaction out of it. Though Arthur hated to admit, he was a great

Kiku Honda, his supposed butler (who had a distinct Japanese accent) was a more of a friend than a servant, he had this uncanny way of giving good advice when he wasn't trying to do so.

Then there was Feliciano Vargas, the maid in disguise, he looked like a girl, but didn't walk or talk like one. Though he was a bit ditzy most of the time, he was a great listener and unnervingly cheery. Not that there was anything wrong with that. Arthur asked once in a while why exactly he had to disguise himself, but Feliciano's reply was always, "Ve~ I'll tell you one day! Promise, but right now, don't you want to insert activity here?

Finally, the hero of the entire kingdom (self proclaimed of course.) The knight, Alfred F. Jones. He was stupid, obnoxious, loud, had selective hearing… and was pretty good company. Somewhat.

(*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~)

"Feliciano, I can bathe myself." Arthur told the maid. He started undressing himself, since Feliciano was a guy and all, it wasn't a problem.

"But I always wash Annie, especially her hair, since she had so much." Feliciano held a scrubbing brush.

"I'm sorry, am I making you uncomfortable?" Arthur paused in his disrobing.

"Ve~ Why would I be? We're both male, right?" Feliciano set the brush on the sink.

"Ah that's right, it slips my mind since you look so much like a girl with the wig and dress. Say, why _do _you dress as a girl?"

"It's a secret that I can't tell! Ve~ But if push comes to shove, I'll have to! I'll leave you here, "

"That's fine."

The Brit was left alone in the red bathroom. He couldn't name this particular shade of red, but it was sort of...calming. He was a bit surprised that the bathroom was, what was the word? Contemporary? Modern? He stepped into the ceramic tub, which was filled to the brim with warm, sudsy water. He was surprised that it was white, not that he was complaining.

Arthur let out a content, "ahh" as he settled himself in the warm bubbles. He hummed a song softly to himself, Arthur grabbed the body wash and a loofah, he always preferred them to washcloths, washcloths always felt so rough against his skin. He sloshed some water on his shoulders, then scrubbed with the soap loofah.

Alfred suddenly walked in the door, with nothing on but some boxer shorts. He wolf whistled when he saw Arthur and didn't try and make an attempt to look embarrased.

"Lookin' good Anne." Alfred grinned and moved closer to the tub, Arthur turned red, he wasn't sure if it was because he was angry or embarrased. Probably both.

"Ever heard of knocking?" Arthur remarked. "Though I think I have a hunch of what you want."

"Ever heard of locking the door?" Alfred said steadily. "So... do you know what I'm about to ask?"

Arthur became redder and sunk lower into the tub. His mind flashed through about a million questions, all but one of them were unintentionally perverted, or downright kinky. The Brit had half a mind to drown himself right then.

"You can take a bath with me... just don't do anything lewd." Arthur murmurmed from the safety of the bubbles.

"Eh?" Alfred raised an eyebrow, "I was gonna ask how long you were gonna take. You _want_ to bathe together?"

Arthur wanted to drown himself. "O-o-of course not, bloody-"

"Anne... I didn't know you were so perverted." Alfred said in mock surprise.

"Arthur! My. Name. Is. Arthur. I would like to be adressed as such," the Brit dipped his head below the water, he no longer wanted to speak to Alfred.

The dark haired blonde removed the boxers he was wearing and joined Arthur, who still hadn't resurfaced. Though he did when he felt a disturbance...

"Waagh!" Arthur stood up. (Luckily certain parts were covered by the suds.) "I CAN'T HURRY UP IF YOU'RE IN HERE WITH ME! GET OUT!"

Alfred stuck a finger in his ear, he ignored "Geez, you're pretty loud early in the morning, _Arthur_. It's not like I'm gonna _mark_ you or anything."

"What do you- nevermind, just forget it." Arthur said through gritted teeth, now it was obvious to Arthur that Alfred more or less had selective hearing and usually blocked out the things he didn't want to hear. Arthur grabbed the shampoo and began washing his hair grumbling profanities that would make a little child cry, he had his back to the blue-eyed man. Though he could feel Alfred's eyes staring at him.

"Hey...Arthur?" Alfred said.

"What?" The Brit answered venomously.

"Tell me...tell me about yourself." Alfred mumbled.

"Any particular reason why for this out-of-the-blue question?" Arthur replied cautiously before turning around.

"Well, you're a stranger. I mean, since you're going to be some kind of stand-in, shouldn't I know stuff about you?"

"Um... I'm 23 years old, graduated college at a young age, and I'm a scientist, back in my world." Arthur, though he wouldn't admit it directly, was a bit happy that he was being asked about his life, and it wasn't going to be published in some kind of magazine.

"Your world... what's it like?" Alfred leaned on the back wall.

Arthur closed his eyes in thought, "Our planet is called, Earth."

"Stop. Don't treat this world as if it was in some faroff galaxy or whatever... this is Earth, too!"

"Oh, that's right, this is some sort of parallel universe." Arthur folded his arms around his chest. "I live on the landmass (or continent) of Europe, in the United Kingdom, in the city of London. It's pretty rainy, but the tea is absolutely delicious. London is a great place to live, it's very... vibrant! I love it." Arthur got this wistful look in his eye, it kind of made his emerald eyes shimmer. He smiled brightly, Alfred got to see something rare.

(*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~)

"The Kingdom of Hearts needs to be taken down, da? It's become more than just a nuisance," Ivan Braginsky, the king of the Kingdom of Spades sat in his throne smiling amusedly.

"I completely agree with you-aru," Wang Yao, a close noble of his, folded his arms, his long white sleeves covering his hands. He wasn't very tall and had childlike features, but was wise beyond his years. "I've heard rumors that they are sheltering 'the one who bears the Red Rose' somewhere in the Kingdom as well."

"Hmm… that's very interesting, that is an important power that would be great to acquire," Ivan stood up a long crème colored scarf stretching down to just above his waist. He opened the doors of the throne room and called down the hall. "Toris!"

A man with a small frame and brown hair and green eyes came running down the hallway. He tightly held a stack of paper close to his chest as if it were the most important thing in the entire world.

"Y-yes sir?" Toris stood up, his eyes wide and frightened, he looked up at his superior. "Do you need something, Mr. Ivan?"

"You look scared out of your mind, Toris. Why is that?" Ivan's expression was unreadable, Toris was about to respond, but Ivan gestured to Yao, "We have a guest. Don't be rude, greet him."

"Um… Hello again Mr. Yao," the brunette nodded towards said person, smiling softly.

"You're always so formal-aru!" Yao scolded playfully, "Just call me Yao!"

Toris allowed himself to laugh lightly, "I'll remember to do so next time, it's always nice to have you. Would you like the usual green tea?"

"You have such a reliable servant! Toris would be a great in any kingdom, indeed-aru!" Yao joked.

Ivan laughed humorlessly and placed a gloved hand on his servant's head, "Ah… but I don't like to share _my_ things."

Toris quivered ever so slightly at the chilling words his Ivan spoke, he didn't want him to notice his fear. The worst part is, every word was the truth. He knew that Ivan would never let him go.

Not that he _would_, Ivan was too kind to him (though he always had a bit of edge in his voice when interacting with the other servants) also… he would track him down if he attempted to run away.

"Toris, it seems you were blanking out once again," Ivan gazed down at the servant, his hand behind his back. It gave the appearance that he was looming over him. "You haven't written my letter to the other kingdoms."

The brunette blinked himself out of his thoughts, "Ah! I'm sorry Mr. Ivan…" Toris pulled a pen out of his pocket and straightened his back, steadying the paper he balanced in one hand. "Please start over, I apologize."

"Ai-yah! I have to leave Ivan, I'm late for a meeting… I'll keep you updated if I hear about anything else!" Yao bolted out the door, the door slammed loudly as he made his exit.

(*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~)

"Tsunderella-hime, please follow me, the King would like to see you in the throne room."

Arthur paused from sipping his afternoon tea, "All right, but I hope it's not chess again, he's a bit of a sore winner."

Kiku chuckled softly, "I assure you it is not. There is a letter from the Kingdom of Spades."

When the two cam upon the throne room, Arthur noticed that it was flooded with people that were all dressed in intricate dresses and dress shirts in various shades of red. They were the nobles and they came to almost everywhere the King went if it was outside the kingdom.

It was a sight to see, different hues of one color gathered in one place. Females were on one side of the room while the men were on the opposite. A long stretch of bright red separated the two genders it lead to two seats, one of which the King was already sitting upon and the other one that was reserved for Arthur.

Michelle, the messenger for the Kingdom of Hearts stood on a platform next to the seats with a scroll in her hand. Her other hand was preoccupied with the uneven bands that her kept the girl's hair in two ponytails. The Brit crossed the room and became settled in the chair next to the King, he waited for something to happen.

Michelle cleared her throat and unfurled the scroll. It read:

_Dear Royal Kirkland Family, Esteemed Nobles, and Knights of the Kingdom of Hearts,_

_I, Ivan Braginsky, the King of the Kingdom of Spades humbly invite you to my annual All Kingdom Ball to celebrate yet another year of peace between the four kingdoms. It will be held on the night of the next full moon at my palace in the new ballroom. I have also requested that the other two kingdoms attend as well. I hope that you will accept my invitation, for the decorations will be most extravagant. Lastly, the guest list is not limited to those addressed in this letter, please feel free to bring as many people as you seem fit. There is room for all._

_-Sincerely,_

_King Ivan Braginsky_

The room buzzed with happy chatter, conversations mixed with in with each other, overall there was an almost tangible giddy mood. The king's eyes twinkled with glee as he stared at his daughter. Arthur on the other hand did not share the emotion, he was actually filled with dread at the thought of it. Michelle looked expectantly at the king, hoping that she would be invited. She was, after all, the valuable messenger, whom relayed the invitation!

(*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~)

"Ve~ I've never been to a royal ball before!" Feliciano tittered. "Especially an 'All Kingdom' ball! We'll have to wear intricate masks, right?"

"Relax, Feli. It's just a ball. I can make you a suit if you want, though!" Elizabeta suggested, sowing lace around a bright red dress.

"Miss Elizabeta, you know I can't." Feliciano's face drooped a little. "Though it would be nice."

"Does this mean I have to wear that dress you're making?" Arthur was frowning, badly.

Elizabeta gave him this incredulous look, was that _really_ a question that needs to be answered?

"Do you want them to know you're _not _the princess and behead you on the spot with whatever weapon they could lay their hands on?" Elizabeta asked, "Of course not. So 100%, _yes."_

"I can make you a wonderful bright red one, with a silk ribbon. To make you look cute. Or should we go for the sexy look?"

"Please take into consideration that I am still indeed male," Arthur sighed. "I have my pride if nothing else."

Elizabeta tried not to laugh, "My dear Princess Anne, you're manly pride was stoned to death the moment you became a royal."

Feliciano cocked his head to the side, "Are we talking about a person?"

"No, Feli. It's just a figure of speech," Elizabeta explained, "Arthur, could you go get Alfred for me? We could get his opinion."

"You know he'll just take your side!"

"Hm... really? I had absolutely no idea!" Elizabeta said sarcastically.

(*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~)

"You're world is so weird, Arthur." Alfred commented.

The two men lay sprawled on the grass, they went to the same place where they were yesterday. Alfred was beginning to like their daily relaxing on the ground. The wind was always mild, so it was the perfect place to laze about. Arthur completely disregarded Elizabeta's request of taking Alfred to her.

"Speaking of weird... that term you mentioned earlier, you said you weren't going to 'mark' me or something, what does it mean? Does it have something to with art?"

Alfred sat up immediately, he was visibly surprised. "Art? Nuh-uh. You seriously don't know what it means?"

"In the context you used it in, I have no idea."

"Wow. That's weird."

"Are you going to keep on with criticizing my lack of knowledge or are you going to tell me?" Arthur stood up and folded his arms.

"I could... but it'd be better if you asked someone else." Alfred grinned smugly, "Like Elizabeta for example."

"I'm asking you. Don't be rude to the princess!"

"Oh, so you're embracing your newfound status, hm?"

"Shut up. I wasn't being serious."

"That's a first. Since you're such a stick in the mud usually."

"Don't change the subject! What does 'mark' mean?

"It'd be easier if I showed you."

"I don't bloody care, just tell, show, do whatever!" Arthur growled.

Aflred rolled over, hovering over the Englishman. He captured his lips in searing kiss, surprising the Brit in more ways than one. Arthur pushed against the knight's chest, trying to push him away. He could quickly feel himself melting, but right before he lost himself, Alfred pulled away. He left the Brit feeling hot and bothered. Before Arthur could yell anything at him, Alfred tilted back Arthur's head and kissed the heart-shaped birthmark on Arthur's neck. This was when Arthur found the strength to push him back.

"You...you..." Arthur covered his neck, he glared daggers at Alfred. He, in turn, only gave him a quizzical expression.

"Hey!" Alfred exclaimed, he caught on to the anger that Arthur was emanating. "You can't be mad at me! You asked and I told you!"

"You didn't tell me! You sexually harassed me! There's a difference!"

"Sexually hara- If it makes you feel any better, _Princess_, I didn't mark you! It's much more complicated that just that!"

Arthur sighed and folded his arms, "Look. Can you just _explain_ it to me?"

"Yeah...no. I'm hungry. I'm going back to the palace."

* * *

**And...we end it right...about...now.**

**So let's see, we've established characters from two kingdoms: Hearts and Spades. The other two are plot device and shall come later in the story.**

**No objections? **

**Awesome.**


	4. Chapter 4

**HAPPY BELATED BIRTHDAY ALFRED!**

**I meant to post this chapter yesterday but...I fell asleep.**

**Moving on-**

**Kuroko no Basuke (The Basketball Which Kuroko Plays) is an epic and hilarious manga that has a solid fanbase in Japan but not in America! It's kinda like a mix between Oofuri (Big Windup,) TeniPuri (Prince of Tennis) and basketball. It's really cool, funny, and full of bishounen dudes (though YMMV) Plus... I already subconsciously made Kagami/ Kuroko a pairing.**

**...and I started writing snippets of fanfiction one-shots about them. But anyways! I heard a rumor that the more popularity that a manga has, the more doujinshi it has! So we need a HUGE fanbase for the manga (and anime) Kuroko no Basuke!**

**Do it for all the fragile ukes and seductive semes in the world!**

**_In other news:_  
**

**I AM NOW INTO DUBSTEP.**

**That is all.**

* * *

"It hurts!" Arthur hissed.

"Don't squirm so much, it'll make it difficult to put it in!" Alfred gripped Arthur's waist so he wouldn't move.

"It'll tear, you idiot!"

"Not. If. You. Don't. Move." Alfred punctuated each word.

"My dear boys, you're going to make me pass out from sheer happiness if you keep speaking in such a suggestive way!" Elizabeta sighed contently. "Ah, but he's right, Arthur. I can't finish the dress if you keep moving."

"I don't care! This wig I have to wear is itchy and this dress is unmanly! I didn't have to wear wigs before? Why do I have to wear one to the ball?"

"Because... our kingdom knows about Annie's crazy antics. Our kingdom also believes that you were messing with transformation magic. Everyone else does not. Therefore you have to wear a wig so we won't raise any suspicions."

"So it's all about appearances?"

Elizabeta nodded then continued stitching at the end of the short-sleeved dress. It was very difficult deciding what kind of dress Arthur should wear. Of course Arthur wouldn't cooperate because he was adamant, he wasn't going to wear a dress! Everyone just rolled their eyes and disregarded any further comment. They finally decided on a cute and sexy look. (Well, _Elizabeta _did.)

"I could keep still if you didn't give me piercings all over my body," Arthur mumbled.

"You exaggerate dear!" Elizabeta smiled and yanked the ribbon around Arthur's waist, effectively crushing his abdomen. "Your dress will be absolutely wonderful! It'll be electric red with silky stockings! Plus as an added feature , if you decide to have some 'fun' with whomever you might meet at the ball...the dress will easily rip away! It'll be perfect!"

"Elizabeta, you're a genius." Alfred commented, flashing a bright grin.

"Aren't I?"

Arthur bloomed scarlet, "I'M RIGHT HERE, REMEMBER?"

"Hehehe...that's the best part dear! Now, take this dress off and put on this corset! If you're going to wear a dress, you'll wear it right! We have to do something about that shapeless figure of yours."

"It's shapeless because I'm a man!"

"Details...details."

As Arthur was forced into the corset, he could feel his innards caving in on him. It was like he was being crushed slowly to death. He glared at Alfred, who tried to hide an amused smile.

"Hang in there, Princess Arthur. Pft! Hang in there!"

"It's just Arthur, you wan-ack!"

"There we go! You're posture is so much more feminine this way! Ah... I wonder why I became a scientist," Elizabeta grinned slyly, "Wait, now I remember."

"Whose supposed to escort me to the ball, anyhow?" Arthur wheezed, he was seriously regretting ever coming to this place. Not that he did it voluntarily.

"That would be me! Your knight in shining armor!" Aflred bragged.

"What am I, a damsel in distress?" Arthur hissed, "Because you are no chivalrous knight nor a knight in shining armor, I assure you."

"You're not a damsel in distress! Dude, that would be mean!"

"I appreciate you _finally _understand someth-"

"You're a princess in distress! Plus my armor always shines because I clean it really well!"

"You really _are _an idiot, aren't you?"

"Shh! Do you hear that loud sound?" Elizabeta cupped her ear, straining to hear the noise. Alfred raised an eyebrow after a few moments.

"I don't hear anything."

"It's the wonderful sound of sexual tension building, like a chorus of angels!"

"Sexual Tension is a song?" Alfred queried.

Arthur sighed. Elizabeta did the same, but hers was for a different reason.

"The is a few days away, Alfred can be your escort," Elizabeta continued, "Plus, a little birdie told me that something dangerous was going to happen at the ball. So you need a date who knows how to fight. There's no one better to escort you than Alfred! He's great with hand-to-hand combat, can battle with and sharp weapon, and can handle a gun pretty darn well. He's the perfect bodyguard!"

"Wouldn't it be easier to just decline the offer to go?" Arthur asked impatiently.

"Well, the royal staff thought the same thing, but then the King said it would be rude if we did not. It would also raise much suspicion."

"Are you implying that the Kingdom of Spades are a bunch of shady buggers?"

"Absolutely," Alfred cut in. "From what I've heard from the knights in other kingdoms, there is absolutely NO crime. Whatsoever. They try to push they ideology on every single one of the children. Everything has to perfect, maintain equilibrium, and if nothing, the knights love to pick a fight. Even though white is a color of purity, they're hands are stained with the deepest crimson of red there is known to us. I hate them. But most of all, I hate Ivan. I'd like to see them try anything at all. I swear on my sword that I'd cut down anyone who tries to come near you."

"What are you trying to say-"

"Your dress is done! Yay!" Elizabeta cheered. "Do a twirl for me Arthur, I need to see if the lace is durable enough for 'nightly activities'!"

"I'm going to do no such thing!" Arthur countered.

"Don't worry, I'm just teasing you! But still, it's a just in case thing. If... I mean, _when_ you change your mind."

(*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~)

The full moon was bright and full, its ray beaming down on the guests as they walked upon the white carpet. The jewel encrusted dresses of the women blinded those behind them. Beautiful red, blue, and green dresses; all in various hues of course, glided down the stairs. With their dates. A nervous servant boy by the name of Raivis Galante was at the young age of 15, he announced the arrival of each and every guest.

"Raivis... your voice is shaking too much. I can't hear the names very well," King Ivan spoke from his throne, he spoke softly, but his voice still carried across the room.

"I ap-p-p-pologize King Ivan, honestly." Raivis stuttered. He kept his eyes trained on the scroll of name. "I now present you... Princess Anne Marie Kirkland of the Kingdom of Hearts, sole heir to the throne, and her suitor Alfred F. Jones a high-ranked knight of the Royal Red Table!"

Loud chattering began to fill the ballroom, some delighted squeals from the girls and low mumbling from their dates. Alfred flashed a smile and bowed in the most elegant way he could muster, which was pretty entrancing from Arthur's point of view.

They descended the stairs, the knight intertwined his fingers with the Englishman. This caused Arthur's cheeks to flush darker than usual, because they were in public, with hundreds of people. He was also beyond nervous. What if someone wanted to interact with him? What if they asked him a question that he certainly couldn't answer?

Alfred glanced and noticed the frenzied look Arthur had in his eyes, he gave his hand a reassuring squeeze. "It'll be fine," he whispered softly, "I'll be right by your side the entire time."

King Ivan rose from his chair, "_Little Anne_ and the '_Black Knight_' have arrived! Now the party may truly begin, da?"

Alfred and King Ivan exchanged murderous glares as the guests erupted with applause and the orchestra began to play _"The Minute Waltz"_

Arthur was twirled around and faced Alfred, "I'll take the lead, Princess."

Although he wanted to protest, Alfred followed the triple beat as it played along, ignoring any type of reprimanding he received from Arthur. He was fluid with his movements and discreetly slid his hand lower and rested it on Arthur's waist. He kept his gaze on the emerald eyes, an ever present smile on his face. Arthur could break the eye contact, he didn't want to. The slow music combined with Alfred's strong hands clasped in his was beyond wonderful. There's one thing he knew for sure, he was a terribly good dancer.

"For an incompetent fool, you can dance fairly well." Arthur commented.

"Does it come as a surprise?"

"In a way, but I'm not complaining."

"Hey! I can be charming if I wanted to!"

"Oh really? I need to see it to believe it."

(*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~)

As the songs changed and the music sped up so did Alfred's movements. The way everyone was dancing Arthur knew they were about to salsa, but he didn't know how. With his hand still on Arthur's waist, Alfred pulled him closer until their torsos were flat against each the other. Arthur looked up at Alfred who smirked playfully.

"I-I don't know this dance..." Arthur admitted under his breath, but Alfred heard it clearly.

"Lucky for you, I do. Just follow my lead, listen to my voice, and try not to stumble."

It was almost embarrassing that Arthur listened to him so easily. He nodded feebly and Alfred let out a low chuckle.

"Alrighty then. First. Put your left hand on my shoulder and just like with the waltz, mirror my movements. Keep in beat with the music. Since it's fast, it'd be better if you learned quickly." Alfred readjusted their positions. "Ready?"

"W-wai-"

"Go!"

The two males melded in with the crowd, Arthur kept tripping over the feet of the other dancers, but eventually he was in complete sync with Alfred. The dance was heated and sensual, before Arthur knew the song was over him and Alfred were nose to nose. The knight's eyes were clouded over with something that could only be described as lust. Arthur closed his eyes when Alfred began to lean over, he released Arthur's hand so he could tilt the shorter man's chin upward.

_"Am I really going to let him kiss me in public?" _Arthur thought to himself. "_Or rather, kiss me at all? Willingly?"_

Alfred stopped altogether when a finger tapped him on the shoulder. To describe him as being mad was an understatement, he was beyond pissed. Arthur's eyes flew open and he saw the person who interrupted.

"May I cut in?"King Ivan asked, though it was more of a demand than a request. "I need to discuss a curiosity with Little Anne, you can go slice something up while we talk, Black Knight. After all, is that not your favorite hobby?"

Alfred clenched his fists and proceeded to size him up, "Are you implying something, _Ivan_? Because I'm more than capable of showing you why I'm a knight of the Kingdom of Hearts and not your worthless trash of knights."

"Addressing me in such a familiar way, as expected from someone of your nature," King Ivan smiled cruelly, "That's illegal here, I could have you killed."

"I'd love to see you try. Make it a public execution, so everyone can see when I beat you within an inch of your life."

"Is that a final request?"

"Excuse me, there is something you wanted to speak to me about?" Arthur stepped in between the two slightly pushing them in opposite directions. His face was turned toward Ivan, but his eyes were focused on solely on Alfred. He sent the unspoken message of, 'calm down' his eyes widening slightly as if he was pleading, "Alfred, would you kindly find Feliciano for me? I haven't properly greeted her as of late."

Alfred gritted his teeth and left.

"Little Anne, will you accompany me to my garden? I heard you liked flowers, and I have a wonderful varieties of colors."

(*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~)

Arthur was seriously regretting ever being alone with this guy. King Ivan was beyond creepy, not only with his actions, but his seemingly intimidating way of speaking. He spoke softly, but with a firm tone. One that could probably make the sun rise right now if he truly wanted it.

King Ivan chattered away, mostly about how his kingdom was doing, the well-being of his people, and how happy everyone was in the Kingdom of Spades.

"Have you noticed it, Little Anne?" The ruler asked, but he didn't wait for a response. "How beautifully white the streets are? How not one speck of dirt mares the glistening white streets? It's all about control, and mutual understanding. The only way to achieve complete happiness is for everyone to be one in the same. There will be no mistakes, no differences because we can all agree with each other. Wouldn't that be the perfect Utopia for all for kingdoms?"

"But...isn't it the differences of the people make the kingdom great?" Arthur questioned, though he quickly regretted it when he saw King Ivan's purple eyes flickering in slight irritation.

"I now understand that we don't see eye to eye, Princess Anne Marie Kirkland, how sad. "

They made their way through vines and rows of flowers all wrapped around each other. The king walked too fast for Arthur to keep up, so he could only trail behind. They were a sight to behold, such deep vivid colors. Arthur noticed that King Ivan mostly had roses and a small patch that was dedicated solely to sunflowers.

"Do you like...roses?" Athur asked off-handedly. Trying to take away from awkward silence that snuck in.

King Ivan for a moment, brightened, not many people asked him that, "Why yes, Little Anne! Do you?"

"I find them quite beautiful, yes."

"I have an extremely rare green rose that can only be found in the Kingdom of Clubs. They change the shade in accordance to how much sunlight they get," King Ivan picked one from a nearby rosebush and brought it to Arthur. "Do you see?" He pointed to the petals. "This one has a beautiful forest green color."

"Do you take care of your garden yourself?"

"I help water, but otherwise, I can't do much."

"Good job, it looks lovely."

Arthur was beginning to let his guard down. King Ivan wasn't a bad person, just someone who wasn't good at communicating. Arthur could relate to that whole-heartedly. It wasn't everyday that you found a royal that tended to their own matters and no just leave it to their servants. Alfred was clearly overreacting.

King Ivan smiled, "Now, let's cover the matter of where the _real _Princess Anne is."

(*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~)

Alfred found Feliciano chatting with Prince Ludwig of the Kingdom of Diamonds. Unlike his usual cheerful self, Feliciano was actually pretty docile and really flustered. Actually, they both were pretty flustered. Alfred only met with the prince once or twice, and he was usually calm and serious. Much like his grandfather who was still reigning king. It was more than just a bit out of character.

"Ah...Feliciano? Are you busy right now?" Alfred asked reluctantly, he felt like wrong interrupting something. He gave him a look that said, _"We have a serious problem."_

"Ve~ I'll be right back, Ludwig." Feliciano excused himself when Prince Ludwig gave a small nod. "Where's Arthur?" Feliciano asked when they reached a quiet spot in the ballroom.

"He went with Ivan, I wanted to stop him, but he was already wary. Plus, Arthur insisted." Alfred explained.

"You should have followed him! As his guard for the night. Miss Elizabeta said that something terrible was going to happen tonight! Even though it was an assumption, she's always right."

There was a scream in the room and loud metal feet pounded against marble floor. Knights clad in solid white flooded the stairs and began searching the ballroom. After a couple of minutes, they cornered everyone to the very middle of the floor. One of them silenced the room by banging their sword and shield together like cymbals.

"We know you're in here! Bearer of the 'Red Rose', show yourself and no one will get hurt! It is someone from the" He shouted.

Confused whispers buzzed throughout the room.

"The Red Rose mark is nothing but a legend! A hoax! A myth! You've gone mad!" One partygoer shouted.

"It's not a matter of personal belief sir, we are following the orders of our King."

Feliciano tightened the choker around his neck, making sure it wouldn't slip. Elizabeta made her way to Feliciano and Alfred. She squeezed the young maid's hand and whispered almost inaudibly, "_Calm down for a moment. They don't know who it is. When you get the chance, run!"_

"I will ask one last time, WHERE ARE YOU?"

Feliciano gasped and took a step back, he started to shake in fear. He bumped into Prince Ludwig, who looked at him quizzically.

"You shouldn't be afraid, they're looking for something that doesn't exist." Prince Ludwig said lowly. "These knights are like dogs, if you don't move they'll get bored and go away."

King Ivan stepped from the shadows. He was at the top of the stairs and looked down at the huge crowd of terrified people. This made him smile broadly, he tossed Arthur onto the floor, he still had his dress on, but the wig was nowhere to be found, a thick stream of blood trailed down his forehead. He hissed in pain as he got to his knees.

Alfred took a step forward, ready to charge, but Elizabeta held him back, "Let go of me! He's dead!"

Elizabeta whispered, "Don't make a scene."

"I can't make any more of a scene than Ivan just did."

"Ivan! What's the meaning of this?" The King of Hearts barked. "If you don't release my daughter right now, you will sorely regret it."

"Such strong words for a ruler who doesn't recognize his own blood," King Ivan said. "Can you not tell that this man is nothing more than a look-a-like?"

"That's a blatant lie, Ivan. I know my daughter better than anyone in this world"

King Ivan frowned and gestured to his guards, "Let everyone go. Except for the King of Hearts and the Black Knight."

The guards in white made a path leading out the door, the frantic partygoers did not take a second glance as they ran away into the night. The only people who were left in the massive room was Elizabeta, Alfred, the King, Feliciano, Prince Ludwig (who refused to leave Feliciano), King Ivan, Arthur, and the knights. Elizabeta glared at Feliciano because he didn't follow her orders.

"Who are these people who refuse to leave even though I so generously gave them permission to do so?"

"Does it matter?" Elizabeta remarked. "What is it that you want?"

"Did my incompetent knights not inform you? I want the bearer 'Red Rose.' I know for a fact that they are being housed in your kingdom, if you just hand them over, I will be on my way."

"What if we refuse?" Alfred spat angrily.

King Ivan crouched down near Arthur, grabbed his hair, and pressed a knife against his neck. "I really thought you wouldn't ask that, wouldn't death be the obvious consequence?"

"If so much as a drop of blood falls to the floor, I'll come up there and snap your neck," Alfred threatened.

"Ah but it's too late for that already, is it not? Look, this man is already dizzy from loss of blood, he can't even respond properly."

Feliciano swallowed a lump in his throat and stepped forward, he removed the red choker around his neck and used it to tie back his wig into a ponytail. Prince Ludwig's eyes widened in pure surprise at what he was seeing. King Ivan chuckled lightly in delight. Both the King and Elizabeta could only stare at the ground.

"It's me...I am the 'Bearer of the Red Rose'. So...please spare the princess."

King Ivan took his time, descending the step leading to the floor of the ballroom. Each step grew nearer, making Feliciano's heart beat wildly and more erratic. Arthur was slung over King Ivan's shoulder, losing touch with the world by the minute. His vision was bleary, everything was going in and out of focus.

"I've changed my mind completely. I will keep the fake princess and on behalf of the entire Kingdom of Hearts I will rid you of the impostor by public execution," King Ivan said lightly.

Arthur watched as Alfred flung himself at Ivan. The knights retaliated. The only thing he could hear was a grand clock ringing. When it struck twelve, everything faded to black.

* * *

**Things are getting a bit dark, are they not? It's starting to scare me at what my mind will start to delve into sometimes when I think about torture and stuff. *shudder***

**I've been hearing some rumors going around that FF is taking down random M rated fics because it doesn't follow the guidelines. Anybody want to confirm or deny this bold statement?**

** So anyways, we have a slight problem. My laptop is acting stupid (per usual) so I can't pull up the rest of my chapters, ain't life funny?**

**Lastly, I know most people have seen this by now, but I'm a bit slow~**

**On YouTube, The GAG Quartet has made a video called, "Le Internet Medley"**

**My mind = BLOWN**

**It has over 40 of the most popular internet memes EVER! I love it!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Okay, so I'm a teen volunteer at this awesome interactive museum and they have summer camps with new campers every week. Get this...this one week, there was this boy in the Preschool-Kindergarten camp that looked like Alfred and Arthur's child (if they had one!)**

**I. KID. YOU. NOT.**

**I cannot stress how happy I was that week, I told my guy friend (who was also in the camp with me) and he gave me the weirdest look I've ever seen him make. (I think it was mostly because I mentioned two male names...)**

**Anyway...**

**So the little boy had Arthur's hair and EYEBROWS and Alfred's eyes, personality, and height. Seriously, he was tall for a 5 year old. It was uncanny, he was such a cool little dude! He even told me that I was the best volunteer and his favorite teacher. I cried a bit when the week ended.**

**You surely will be missed, child of my favorite anime...**

**Moving right along~**

**I've been informed that the story is getting darker, no?**

**Yeah, it is. I mean you can't keep it happy when there's been threats of public execution and such? ****I'm debating whether I should have some descriptive torture scenes or just mention them in passing.**

**...**

**Not that I would ENJOY doing something as sick and twisted as that! Mwahaha**

**Though in all seriousness, sometimes my imagination scares me beyond measure, and I don't want my writing to suffer with my mildly psychotic thoughts. However, doing this might help me some, plus it's out of my comfort zone and I LOVE challenges.**

* * *

Arthur blinked back into consciousness, his eyes trying to focus on his surroundings. He found himself leaning against something. It was cold, hard, and grainy in some places. The only thing it could have been was a concrete wall. Arthur couldn't think properly and his head was pounding, like a giant fist knocked him right in his temple.

Wait...one did.

He gingerly touched the side of his head just above the ear, finding that it was still fresh with blood. His disorientation served to only hinder him, he was surprised that he hadn't bled to death.

"_Where am I_?" Arthur thought. "_Somewhere in the Kingdom of Spades. Being held prisoner, no doubt. For reasons unknown."_

All was silent, except for the occasional splash of blood that dripped from his chin. The scientist couldn't see his hand in front of his face, shrouded complete and utter darkness. Trying to feel less helpless, he stuck his hand out in front of him which, thankfully, was no longer tied together he moved it from left to right, trying to grasp anything at all.

If anything was there.

Using the wall behind him as leverage, he pushed himself up on wobbly legs. His equilibrium was already off due to his ill-lighted room, the dizziness from loss of blood was just an added bonus. Arthur groaned and began to walk stiffly in the blackness.

Arthur found something that felt like a wooden wall, it was old, ragged, and splintered. His hand wrapped around cold brass, so it was a _door_. He hoped it was the door knob and that it wasn't locked. He twisted and pulled it backwards, and it opened with little resistance. The room was instantaneously and completely illuminated by the flood of light that came from the door. Arthur pupils dilated and he covered his eyes with his hand.

It was blinding, he stumbled backwards and slipped in his own forgotten blood. His head connected to the concrete ground. He heard the crack his skull made before he slipped into a dreamless sleep.

(*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~)

Alfred sat in a special part of the castle where knights could only enter. He sharpened his sword, his mind reeling. Although, there were people who were assigned to polish and keep up the swords' condition, Alfred did this out of habit. It kept him sane when he felt like he was about to snap.

The knight was beyond the feeling of being furious, he was seriously considering to burn the entire Kingdom of Spades down to the ground. Make the glistening and so-called, perfect utopia char into dark black rubble. The red flames would engulf the kingdom, climbing the walls of buildings and shops alike. Alfred would personally make sure Ivan wasn't dead, so he could witness the demise of his domain.

"Al...you okay in here?" Matthew, Alfred's younger, and more soft-spoken brother slipped in through the door. "Nevermind. You're polishing the sword. Of course you're not okay."

Alfred stopped his cleaning and turned to face his brother, "Why are you back? You said you'd be gone for six months, it's only been four."

Matthew was a medic who used magic called the "healer's hand" to cure people of almost any wound or ailment known to them. Though it took a great amount of power and concentration. It was a very dangerous practice, but if performed correctly it always produced positive results. However, he mostly patched up animals and sick kids nowadays with the kingdoms being at peace and all.

"I heard about the fiasco at the All Kingdom Ball, I came to check on you."

"It only happened yesterday. How did people find out so quickly?"

"Alfred, it was the **All Kingdom **ball."

"Right, I knew that."

"I also heard that Feliciano and Princess Anne were both kidnapped by King Ivan."

An entire minute passed before Alfred mumbled, "They were. It's all my fault."

"Alfred, don't blame yourself."

"It was."

"It's not like you planned them being taken hostage."

"No, I didn't. But I was assigned to keep Ivan away from him. I couldn't protect Arthur, I let him out my sight for one second-"

"Who's Arthur?"

"Anne is Arthur."

"Excuse me?"

"Mattie it's-" Alfred sighed hopelessly. "It's just complicated."

Matthew had never seen his brother down, he was angry just a few minutes ago, now he was just defeated. "Well, help me understand."

"Sit down, it'll take a while."

(*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~)

When Arthur arose the second time, his surroundings had not changed. It was still pitch black, but he could hear a muffled sort of sound. It was very soft, and he strained to hear it. To him, it was hard to decide whether he was imagining it or there was someone here with him. He groaned and massaged his pounding head, wondering if he had any head trauma.

"Ve~" A voice sighed.

"Feliciano?" Arthur called. "Where are you?"

The crying immediately ceased and a sound of pure elation replaced it, "Ve! Arthur! You're alive! I'm in the cell next to you!"

"Have you been here this entire time?"

"No, actually I was literally thrown into a cell about ten minutes ago after the torture. I saw you laying a pool of blood, so I thought you were dead, and started crying. But then you called my name and I saw you weren't dead and I was happy."

"TORTURE? Are you okay?" Arthur yelled, but he recoiled when he had a particular sharp pain in the head.

"It wasn't anything physical, they were trying to mess with my mind." Feliciano chuckled dryly, "But...I'm stronger than I may look! Honest!"

"But mental torture leaves the worst scars...how?"

"I knew everything they were telling me were nothing but lies, psychological torture is completely ineffective if you are focused on one thing. They kept saying that I'd die here."

"How can you-"

"I know it's a lie. Ludwig will come for me, like Alfred will come for you. We just have to stay strong. Love always finds a way."

"L-love?" Arthur sputtered. "What do you mean love? Alfred is still in love with that runaway princess. I'm just some sort of replacement."

"I think he's given up on Annie."

"Even though he compares us constantly?"

"What do you think about it?"

"About what?"

"You're in love with him right?"

"What gave you that impression?"

"I saw you two yesterday at the ball, you were dancing so closely together. It was cute, seeing the two of you together like that."

Arthur didn't respond, he recalled the events of the previous day. Alfred's smile, the attention he gave him, the reassuring and seductive voice. Despite his current situation, he felt a bit...happy. To have met him, and gotten to know him. Though, even if he _did_ even remotely love Alfred, it would have caused many problems...pointless and stupid problems.

"It was just...the spur of the moment. Nothing more." Arthur stated, trying to convince himself as well as Feliciano.

Their conversation ended abruptly when a door creaked at the end of the what Arthur realized was one large corridor. A very dim stream of light flooded the entire hallway, though it was more than enough for both the Englishman and Feliciano. Two pairs of shoes clacked against the floor, exchanging words that were to low to be deciphered.

_"One of them is a woman...I can hear her high heeled shoes perfectly," _Arthur thought to himself, "_So of course the other person is male, but it's not heavy enough to be King Ivan's. Who could it be?"_

"Maybe you two need to be isolated from each other. Same environment, but in an entire room by yourself. Pitch black with horrible sounds constantly filling your ears. Sense deprivation is the best kind of torture. Next to flesh wounds from my knives, of course. If all goes well, you'll be insane before it's time for your public execution, Royal Fraud. Big Brother would be happy with such positive results."

Arthur tried to make out who exactly was the person in front of him that made such blood-curdling threats. But with the dim light, it was extremely difficult to do so. He saw a silhouette of her, but that was about it. She wore a dressed that bloomed out in the shape of a bell. Considering the fact that the kingdom he was being held prisoner in wore nothing but white, he assumed her dress was the same. He saw glints of very light blond hair in the terrible light, it reached far down her back.

The person standing next to her was a bit more broad shouldered, but not by much. His hair was just above his shoulders, and looked brownish. From his posture, he was a bit more good-natured. Either that or he was just a very well-trained butler of some sort.

"Um...Natalia, we didn't come here to threaten him, haha..." the man trailed off nervously.

"You're too weak, Toris. Why Big Brother prefers you over me, I'll never know. Though it doesn't matter now, when he hears I've successfully broken these two completely Big Brother will be very proud, and we'll get married! We'll be together in the perfect Utopia."

Toris forced a smile, "I admire your desire to be so proactive. But the knights are in charge of interrogation."

"_Interrogation? __For what?" _Arthur thought.

Keys jangled, and in less than thirty seconds the two prisoners were out of their respective cells. Hands bound tightly, courtesy of Natalia. The two hissed as the rope dug into their skin. Toris quickly attempted to loosen it, only to have his hands smacked away by Natalia. When they were out and into the light, Arthur discovered that they weren't below the castle as he previously thought, but just in a secret room adjacent to the ballroom.

The two were led to the throne room, where King Ivan sat on his bejeweled seat. Covered with flawless diamonds and other encrusted accessories, it was truly grand. He smirked as he laid eyes upon the two.

"You are greatly appreciated. Toris, Natalia. Ah, Natalia...you may leave. But Toris must stay," Ivan said softly. Natalia soured.

"Why, Big Brother? It's because you love Toris more than me, right? Is that why I have to leave?" Natalia muttered harshly.

"Of course not. There are just some things that I would never want to let my lone little sister to witness. I need you to gather some knives, I will need you to use them for later," King Ivan said sweetly, "You wouldn't want to hinder me by staying here, would you."

Natalia huffed, she wasn't going to be fooled by such blatant lies, but nonetheless she turned and left the room, the door slamming.

King Ivan sighed, "Such an unruly little sister, she truly can be a handful sometimes."

He turned his attention to Arthur, who gave him the worst glare he could muster without making his head pound any more than it already did. Fortunately for him, the bleeding stopped a while ago...but he was dizzier than ever. He could feel himself swaying back in forth, trying not to fall unconscious for a third time. King Ivan merely raised an eyebrow.

"Toris..."

"Y-yes...King Ivan?" Toris answered nervously.

"Get him some medical attention. I want him lively so he can hear every single word I have to say, " King Ivan waved at Arthur dismissively."

Arthur gave Feliciano a worried look, Feliciano mouthed the words, "_We'll be fine, honest._"

_(*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~)_

"Why aren't you going to take action?" Alfred yelled, Matthew gripped his arm and held him back. "You're not sending anybody to Spades to try to get them? What kind of king _are _you?"

"Control your tongue, boy. That was not my daughter. The only thing I'm going to do is deploy a search party all over the four kingdoms. I want to find my daughter. I couldn't care _less _about what did you call him, _Arthur?_ He is nobody that I know of, and it's not troubling my people. There is no problem at stake," the King hand gripped at his throne's armrest.

"It's troubling me."

"You are only one person."

"What about the mass hysteria that's spreading?"

"I can handle that later."

"You'll just let Ivan off without taking action?"

"What do you want me to do? Declare war? Be the kingdom that destroys the peace that's been kept for more than a century? I'll be infamous for the rest of my days!"

"Alfred, stop." Matthew coerced.

"Feliciano and I already discussed the matter. I told him that there would be a day that he would get caught. But he was welcome to live in my kingdom. I'd lose knights and more getting him back."

"That's all? You didn't try to tell him that you would get him back? Would you really throw him away just because the it's too much effort? If you cared to remember, Feliciano didn't just live in the kingdom as a freeloader, he tried his best to make . Instead of getting wrapped up in your own selfish problems maybe you should act like a true leader and actually do WHAT'S RIGHT."

"How DARE you speak to a higher authority that way, Alfred F. Jones."

"The circumstance has called for such a tone, Your Highness." Alfred replied mockingly.

"Say one more ignorant thing and you will be stripped of your knighthood."

"Alfred...please. Let's just go," Matthew pleaded, tugging on his older brother arm, "We'll think of something. Just, don't do this."

Alfred took a deep breath then sighed, "Consider me an ex-knight. I quit," without looking back he stalked out of the room, his fists clenched in pure anger. Matthew excused himself politely and quickly followed behind. The two brothers walked the corridors, or rather, one stomped angrily and another tried to calm him down without yelling. Alfred didn't listen to a word, his goal was clear.

Matthew finally gave in and agreed to come with him as a medic when Elizabeta joined Alfred small crew of misfits. She conjured all sorts of supplies, from food to weaponry. That way, they could have things to use without having to buy them. She was both a scientist and a wizard after all, not that a lot of people know about that.

"We're leaving in the dead of night. When everything and everyone will sleep, save for the nocturnal animals of course, but what does that matter? We'll wear white clothing, so we won't be deemed suspicious. It's only natural...Alfred, stop making that face." Elizabeta scolded, "We have to take caution."

"Or we could make a huge ruckus and blow everyone in that castle sky high!" Alfred suggested. "That would take less time!"

"What about the innocent people in the castle who didn't do anything? They'd be affected too, wounded even! Fatally!" Matthew pointed out. "Murdering the innocent is not the answer."

_(*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~)_

Arthur sat quietly while Toris patched up his head. He observed the man in front of him, eyeing him warily trying to decipher what kind of personality he had from his movements. From what he gathered so far, mild-mannered and extremely mature would be excellent words to describe him.

"You look like such an intelligent young man. Why are you here with that monster?" Arthur asked slowly.

Toris eyes flickered for a moment, he bit his lip momentarily and closed the medical kit softly. "I've been asked that many times before...and the truth is, I _want _to be here. Ivan has an older sister, Princess Katyusha, who's very sickly and has to stay in bed. Ivan... was never supposed to be ruler. He used to be kind... then he gained power at a very young age, only because Katyusha could not."

"So...because of the pressure he cracked and became a guy who wants everyone and everything to be the same?"

"_No._" Toris said sharply, "It's not that simple."

"Pray tell, where do _you _come into all this?"

"I was a childhood friend...and according to Princess Katyusha, I have a healing effect on him. Though I don't see that myself, she assures me, and she made me promise that I'd stay. So he wouldn't completely crack and have a mental breakdown. It's happened once, and I was unfortunate enough to witness it."

"Oh? How did he calm down?"

Toris lifted up his shirt and showed Arthur his back, Arthur's eyes widened in surprise as he saw the dark scar that ran diagonally from the top to the bottom of the expanse of skin. Even though it clearly was healed (as much as it could be anyway), the scar looked like it was beyond painful when it was still fresh on his back.

"I can't really remember everything, because my younger brother wiped my memory of the incident. He said it had too much of a bad impact on me."

"Wiped your memory-"

Toris dropped his clothing awkwardly and faced Arthur once more, "Um...I'm really sorry, I didn't mean to ramble about my problems. Though, if it's any consolation, I can try and convince to not...well, kill you. You're a good man, I can tell. By the way, what is your name?"

"Arthur. Arthur Kirkland." Arthur extended his hand and a small smile, "Can you tell me what will happen to Feliciano? Will he be killed as well?"

Toris bit his lip, his eyes trained to the ground, "He most certainly will not, but that's probably what Feliciano will want extremely soon."

"What do you mean?"

"Ivan has many things he wants to experiment on... using Feliciano's blood. Most of them forbidden black magic."

* * *

**I've been really hitting the movie theaters, and have been doing some serious move-hopping. Sometimes I feel bad about it...and leave some change on the floor for the janitors can find it and y'know, do something with it.**

**So I'm going to be in a dunk tank for the first time in my life, awaiting someone to throw a ball at the target thingy and drop me in there. That's going to be pure AWESOMENESS.**

**In my anime/manga/otaku life-**

**I heard that Funimation has dubbed Panty & Stocking. _Mein Gott_ that's going to be hilarious, but I still haven't gotten past episode ONE. Because of... stuff.**

**Also, I've been reading the manga Sankarea, and it's beyond awesome, even though there aren't any pretty boys to ship, I can live with that.**

**Speaking of _pretty boys-_**

**My absolute favorite yaoi manga is called Love Stage! Just to give you a small summary- Sena Izumi is an otaku (and our uke) in a family full of entertainers. his mom is an actress, his dad a singer, and his older brother a member in the famous music group 'Crusherz'. His family want him to join the entertainment business but he doesn't want any of that, instead he wants to be a mangaka (but he super duper seriously sucks at it. Not that he notices.) He reunites with Ichijou Ryouma (the seme), he's like this rising actor who had fallen in love with him when they did a commercial together as children, but a LOT of stuff happens.**

**THE ART IS SOOOOOO GOOD! IT'S THE BEST! This manga is everything a fangirl is looking for!**

**Ahem...um...yeah. That's-that's what it's like. It's a really good series. I wish it had an anime, I would download it and store it to my personal files.**

**Well, that's about all for my ramblings!**


	6. Chapter 6

**So... I've just realized...the Olympics are over.**

**This was my first year actually _watching_ the Olympics (aka recording ALL the events on crappy NBC and some other channels, then watching them in the middle of the night.) Though my enthusiasm was mostly fueled by the fact that I'm a Hetalia fan. The parade of nations was awful...for my family.**

**They kicked me out the room when I was laughing uncontrollably.**

**And I think my younger cousins officially believe that I have a few screws loose!**

**Which is fine with me, by the way.**

**In other news...**

**I made on of readers sad last chapter because of the terrible/ irregular updating of my stories! I am super-duper sorry that it has weird time spans! So I'm going to try to update every week...or every two weeks! Though unfortunately the chapters will be shorter! But that's okay! It'll just mean double the chapters, no?**

**Also, as you know...it is August, and thus summer is coming to a close. **

**I, along with some other school districts here have to go back to school on the 20th.**

***sigh* I wasted my summer! And my laptop is still broken!**

**Anyway, enough with self-pity! Onto another installment of Tsunderella!**

**Enjoy~**

* * *

"Everything is so somber here," Matthew said with wide eyes.

Neither Alfred nor Elizabeta disputed that claim. People filled the streets but the way they walked suggested that they had given up on life. King Ivan made sure that everyone was given a home as far, as the trio could see, not one was better than the other. It seemed they had both everything they needed and nothing at all.

A little girl who couldn't have been older than six ran from out of nowhere, apparently she hadn't been affected by the sullen atmosphere of the pebble-covered streets yet. She laughed brightly and kicked around a ball. The adults around her gave her disapproving looks and one woman in particular (who Alfred assumed was her mother) was beyond bewildered, but made no move to retrieve her.

When she tripped over her play toy and skinned her knee, everyone turned a blind eye, and resumed their pointless lives. The girl cried softly, her mother crossed over to her and rubbed her hair soothingly. Matthew approached them unconsciously, he placed his hand over her knee and whispered a healing spell. The affected area of skin glowed a light green then disappeared completely.

Matthew smiled softly and patted her head, "You're the girl grinned brightly and hopped up to give him a quick hug. The mother gave a pleased smile, a silent 'thank you' and took the girl's hand in hers, they both disappeared into a house.

Low whispers floated around as Matthew stood up nervously, he caught wind of one of them and realized they were very positive. My surprised himself by his own boldness. It was second nature in this time, to help absolutely anybody and everybody. Alfred smiled proudly at his little brother's abilities and it strengthened his resolve to do the same, but not as a doctor.

"Where did you acquire such magic?" A knight stepped out from the shadows and grabbed Matthew's arm and pulled roughly, "There is only one person who has permission to do that and she's an elderly woman!"

For the first time since they arrived the kingdom showed a hint of life as they scattered to their homes, some fleeing into hiding in the nearest place. Elizabeta stepped forward as a warning, but Alfred's big brother instinct already kicked in. He was between the two, Matthew rubbing his sore arm, Alfred towering over the knight who drew his sword in trying to scare him off.

"He was _helping._ Is there a problem with healing a person who's hurt?" Alfred voice dripped with venom.

"You are unmistakably an outsider. If you were not, then you'd know that it's against the law to do any type of magic without the request being authorized by King Ivan." The knight recited from memory. "You must come with me."

"_Laqueo Scopum! (Snare Target)" _Elizabeta shouted and pointed her index finger at the guard. An unknown force dragged the knight backwards to a building, his pinned by chains that manifested on their own. Though he tried to escape, the chains constricted the more he moved. The three ran away and Elizabeta called back, "Don't worry dear it'll wear off eventually! If you don't stop squirming around it'll squeeze the life out of you!"

(*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~)

Feliciano and Arthur were back in their cells, for being prisoners, their treatment matched that of the royals. They were given delicious, completely edible food, allowed to use real bathrooms (though they didn't have windows,) and sometimes Toris snuck books in to ease their boredom. Toris coordinated this entirely, Ivan and Natalia had absolutely no idea.

"I can't help you escape, I'd make it too obvious, but at least you can enjoy your stay a bit?" Toris said when he went to their cells at around noon.

"Ve~ I keep telling you Toris, Ludwig's gonna come and get me and Alfred will save Arthur!" Feliciano explained for the nth time.

Arthur was beginning to get worried about Feliciano. Over the past few days, his voice was getting weaker, tired. At times during the middle of the night,

Toris smiled softly, "If I run into them when they get here, I'll take them to where you are personally, okay?"

"You're so nice, Toris!"

Toris rubbed the back of his head sheepishly, "Not really..."

"But you are! You kind of remind of my big brother, though he gets angry pretty easily."

Arthur looked up from his book, "You have a _brother, _Feliciano?"

"Yep! He's the best big brother you could ever have! Lovino lives with Grandpa Roma in the Kingdom of Diamonds and Grandpa owns a restaurant! A lot of people say we're similar to each other, except for Antonio," Toris gave him a questioning look, "Oh! Antonio is my friend, he's best friends with Prince Gilbert! Lovino gets mad at both a lot. The four of us would play together before I moved to the Kingdom of Hearts."

"Ah, so you're from the Kingdom of Diamonds." Toris said. "I've been there once or twice, the blue hues are really calming. It's very relaxing place to go when you're feeling stressed."

"Do you have any siblings, Toris?" Feliciano asked.

"Yes, I do. I'm the oldest of three," Toris smiled fondly. "My two brothers are Eduard and Raivis. Even though I'm the eldest, at times Eduard is more mature than I am, he's very intelligent too. Raivis... is a bit of a nervous wreck and tends to act quite air-headed. They work here as well, though I don't get to see them much."

"Ve~ What about you, Arthur?"

"I have four brothers, all older than me. I don't talk to them that much anymore, since all of us are a bit estranged.

The three men continued their conversation casually, and they didn't hear a pair of high-heeled shoes clack down the corridor of the prisoner cell. Natalia eyebrows furrowed in annoyance, the two prisoners were acting so carefree despite the situation they're in. She wondered passively why the door was open in the first place, but quickly dismissed it all together. Her pace quickened considerably, she wanted to shut them up, Big Brother would be proud that she had the two practically on verge of suicide after she left the cells. When she picked up Toris's voice however, she stopped in her tracks.

Was he interacting with them? The blondie on death row and the weak brunette who was as much as a crybaby as Katyusha?

Her lips curled in a sly smile.

"_Big Brother would surely be angry if he found out his precious little Toris was cavorting with the enemy, right? He'd have him killed for being a traitor, then I'd be his favorite."_

Turning on her heels, she left as loudly as she had come. Without knocking, she burst into the throne room and immediately spilled what she saw. Ivan blinked in surprise during her explanation a few times, but mostly gave her a look of indifference.

"Natalia, your loyalty is always unwavering," Ivan commented when she finished speaking. The little princess looked expectantly at her brother, waiting to see what type of punishment Toris might receive. "However, did it cross your mind that he was merely using a mental tactic on the two? Conversing with them in such a frivolous, carefree, and friendly way; he was most certainly giving them false hope."

It took a moment for Natalia to register what she just heard, frankly, his response was making her angry, "Are you messing with me, Big Brother? Surely you overestimate his intelligence."

"Would I have any reason to lie to you?"

"_You shouldn't, yet you still lie to me...constantly," _Natalia thought, biting her lip. "No...Big Brother. Though hear me out...there will be a day when Toris will leave you..._willingly_. If your perception of him is anything to go by, he's beyond manipulative! Did you consider that he was giving _you_ false hope?"

"Natalia, that's enough."

"I will forever be by your side, even when no one else is. My unconditional love for you will overcome any obstacle. We could get married...and rule all four kingdoms. A perfect utopia. _Ou__r_ perfect utopia," Natalia rested her hands on each side of Ivan's throne, she leaned over and stared into the eyes of an annoyed king.

"As I've told you before, this is not how siblings act toward each other, your childish fantasies need to stop," Ivan replied unmoved.

Natalia's eyes flashed angrily, her knuckles turned white, she gripped the armrests tightly. Ivan sighed and rolled his eyes, waiting for his immature sister to calm down. She didn't have temper tantrums, lucky for Ivan she had already grown out of it. Though she could give one heck of a wicked glare if nothing else.

"Let's do this...I'm going to get Toris and bring him to you. We'll see what happens from there."

"Leave the knife here, I don't want him bloody."

* * *

**Yeah... Toris needs to run, Natalia is NOT happy.**

**The words that Elizabeta shouted was in Latin, it meant: Snare Target!**

**Sounds legit, right? I used the infamous translator, and I'm not very proud of it.**

**Also-**

**I really like the whole "you will be mine Brother dear" dynamic of Ivan and Natalia's sibling relationship. Though instead of having it for laughs (like I usually like it) it might cause Natalia to go into yandere mode if I'm not careful.**

**Lastly, can anyone tell me what dub-con/ non-con is? I see it sometimes when I'm reading fanfics but I seriously have no idea.**


	7. Chapter 7

******School back in...I began week two today of my 9th grade year. So far I've danced/sang on the table at lunch, had a teacher ignore the fire alarm, found out my history teacher knows about Hetalia, and I have auditions for Romeo and Juliet. Plus I randomly hugged a student who was drawing manga outside the school...and freaked him out.**

******WONDERFUL.**

******Anyway, I'm going to have to do some improvising with this story because my reliable laptop is broken...********AGAIN.**

******My parents refuse to fix it until I attempt to clean my garbage jungle of a room. Which is a death wish on my part because they don't understand what kind of stuff LIVES under my bed. And I don't mean monsters.**

******I truly believe I have created a hybrid mutant animal somewhere in my room.**

******And it scares me.**

******Enjoy!**

* * *

"Your Highness, do you know where Elizabeta and Alfred are?" Francis asked one morning when he brought out the king's breakfast. "I haven't seen them at all this week."

Francis didn't go to the ball, he sensed that something bad might happen and didn't want to take the chance. As an excuse he told everyone else that it was merely because he wasn't feeling well. However it was no secret that King Ivan kidnapped both Princess Anne (who turned out to be a guy? Maybe transformation at play again) and Feliciano. What baffled Francis the most was that the King was doing absolutely nothing about King Ivan stealing his only child and their best maid.

"This doesn't concern you, Francis," the King replied dryly stabbing a fork into scrambled eggs. "Those two are no longer welcome here."

"May I inquire as to why they are not welcome?"

"You may not." the King said after polishing off a croissant.

"Have you already sent your knights to retrieve Feliciano and Princess Anne?"

"Don't call him that. There was no transformation magic...my little girl is lost somewhere. I don't know where to start." the King started to mutter. Though Francis picked up on every word.

"Your Highness. Is there something you want to say?"

"Elizabeta and Alfred left on their own. Went to the Kingdom of Spades to get them back. I'm not telling you anything else."

"But, Your Highness shouldn't you take _some_ kind of action? That is an extremely dangerous task, they could be murdered for all we know. They're trying to retrieve _your _daughter."

"That's not my daughter."

"The spell just hadn't worn off-"

"You weren't there! You didn't see!"

"Your Highness-"

"My glass is empty."

The chef frowned and retreated to the kitchen, quickly coming back to refill the glass of wine. Francis waited till the King was on his sixth glass before he asked another question. He never approved of alcohol in the morning hours, but he wanted information. Call it selfish, but the king was stubborn. Fortunately, he was a huge blabbermouth when intoxicated. Francis sat down in the chair next to the drunk royal, he propped his elbows up on the table, his hands cradling his face.

""Now...Your Royal Highness...What happened with Alfred and Elizabeta?"

"I stripped that brat of his knighthood. He wouldn't shut his mouth. I won't lie, Alfred was a good knight- one of the best. He stormed out of the throne room, took his little brother and Elizabeta, then left Hearts. I think it's a rescue party."

"So, you didn't send them yourself?"

"No."

"What did King Ivan do to make you believe that Princess Anne was not who she said she was?"

The King eyed him dazedly, he slurred his words greatly and Francis strained to understand him. "If you are cut by a knife what color is your blood?"

"Of course it would be red."

"If I am cut...what color would my blood be?"

"Well, you are also human, so your blood would be red as well."

"Wrong! Let me in on a secret- when a royal is wounded, our blood is blue! It's a well-kept secret, mind you."

"Surely you jest, Your Highness." Francis was more than a little worried that his plan was beginning to backfire on him. The King was being absolutely absurd.

This was when the King did something brash, he grabbed one of the sharper knives and slid it across his index finger. He made sure it wasn't shallow, a dark blue liquid gathered where his flesh was cut. The royal raised his hand 5 inches above the table, palm facing downwards, and let it drip on the red tablecloth. Francis's eyes widened at both the king's actions and the sight of his oddly colored blood.

"Ivan made that impostor bloody, his blood was the deepest red I've ever seen on a peasant. He's not my daughter, Francis."

"I see," the chef rose from his seat, "I am going to take a small break, if you need anything, the rest of the kitchen staff awaits you."

Francis left the dining room and walked down the corridor. The King swirled the wine that was still in his glass, "Shouldn't he know by now that I have very high tolerance?"

(*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~)

Toris walked down the quiet halls of the palace, everyone was still asleep, and it's part of his job to wake up Ivan. He ascended a flight of stairs and briskly walked past the torture room. The butler wondered whether he should leave with Arthur and Feliciano when they're rescued. If push comes to shove, he'd run away on his own. Somewhere in the woods, all he would need is a spell book and he'd be set for life. Toris sighed and shook his head.

He wouldn't leave his brothers to suffer, but he knew that Raivis would reject the idea completely. Though he didn't know how Eduard would react. His younger brother always spoke of living on his own, but never got the opportunity.

Ivan's bedroom door quickly came into view, Toris gripped the doorknob. He was hesitant, Ivan called him into the throne room the previous knight, and he wasn't happy. Toris worried that Ivan might know about his conversations with Arthur and Feliciano.

The room was completely dark, save for the few spots of light that snuck through the drawn curtains. It didn't matter, Toris knew where he was going. It would be suicide if he turned on the lights, a death glare from a tired Ivan was more than enough to give nightmares. He hopped over the jacket that was always discarded on the right of the bedside.

"Ivan..." Toris whispered shaking him lightly. "It's time to wake up."

Less than ten seconds rolled by before Toris was yanked into the bed, with Ivan holding him to his chest like a stuffed toy. This was the norm, Toris sighed as he struggled to get free.

"Toris...you're mine, right?" Ivan mumbled lowly. He began unbuttoning Toris's dress shirt.

Toris began to panic...this hasn't ever happened before. "Ivan, what are you-"

"Answer my question," Ivan stated flatly before nipping his ear. "Are you? Or are you not?"

"Ivan, this really isn't..." Toris involuntarily moaned before he could finish his sentence. He quickly covered his mouth after that embarrassing sound escaped his lips. Ivan smirked against is neck.

"I never knew my little Toris made such cute sounds. You must really like it when I play with your nipples," Ivan whispered huskily sliding one of his legs between his frantic butler's. "Such lewd sounds...so shameless."

"D-don't twist them..." Toris gasped, he was quickly losing willpower. His voice rose two octaves higher when Ivan's hand disappeared down his waistband. The stimulation was overwhelming, it was something he seriously wasn't used to.

The royal turned Toris around and crushed their lips together, Ivan didn't wouldn't back off until he saw his butler nearly passed out from lack of oxygen. Toris hated to admit it but it was somewhat arousing.

(*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~)

"My cute grandson's kidnapped!? When? How? Why?"

"Feliciano's been WHAT?"

Ludwig inwardly sighed and began to worry about his mental health after this was over. Lovino, Feliciano's older brother was loud, uncooperative, and hated his guts to begin with. His grandfather, Roma on the other hand is a nice guy,though if he wanted to, he could be extremely dangerous. But it had to be done.

The Kingdom of Diamonds tried to keep the incident at the ball under wraps. Luckily, very few nobles from their kingdom had attended, since they weren't really a monarchy that loved social gatherings. Not even Ludwig's grandfather, the king, went to it. Neither did his older brother, he said it was to prissy for his tastes.

"He's being held by King Ivan. I don't know what he wants him for, but it certainly isn't for a good reason."

"It's because of his birthmark, right?"

"Yes, sir. For the past few years there have been rumors that the Kingdom of Spades was on the look out for the 'Red Rose' mark. In short, King Ivan was searching for him at the ball, then had his knights searched for him while he left with Princess Anne. When he came back with the princess, she was a boy who looked as if he had the living daylights beat out of him. King Ivan threatened to kill him, unless the 'Red Rose Bearer' appeared. That was when Feliciano revealed himself. King Ivan changed his mind and now the boy princess and Feliciano are both being held against their will in the dungeon."

Roma sat at the table for a moment, processing the information. Lovino was furious.

"Why didn't anyone stop him! Why didn't _you _stop him? Everyone knows that King Ivan is a sadist! He's crazy!" he slammed his hand on the table. "Feliciano's so stupid! He won't survive in there!" Lovino cried, covering his face with both hands. "If he dies it's _your_ fault you idiotic, macho, inconsiderate, moronic, cowardly, and overall useless son of a-"

"I COULDN'T DO ANYTHING!" Ludwig defended, "In fact, I was just as dumbfounded as everyone else! When you attend a ball in most cases you don't have your life threatened!"

"Excuses!"

"Lovino..." said warningly.

The younger man flinched momentarily, then glared daggers at Ludwig.

"Prince Ludwig. I'm hoping that there is more to this story."

"Of course, sir." Ludwig affirmed. He gave a small cough to compose himself. "I would like to have Feliciano's hand in marriage."

Both Vargas men stared blankly. Lovino jaw dropped and he said slowly. "_WHAT. THE. FU-"_

"Lovino!"


	8. Chapter 8

**I went the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer walk this past Saturday! Mein Gott it was fun~ I got pictures with people in morph suits. They turned the fountain pink, people gave out bandanas, and everything was fun and relaxing!**

**Also...my school's putting on the Romeo and Juliet play! I'm a stage hand and let me tell you, I have NEVER felt so much pressure! I have to get the props and get out before the lights come up or I'll be like a deer caught in headlights. O_O;**

**Scary...I had to stay late at school (the latest being around 9pm...in addition to regular homework) and it's totally worth it! It's fun being backstage~**

* * *

"This castle, is like a freaking labyrinth." Alfred huffed, his patience was wearing thin. Him, Matthew, and Elizabeta made a beeline some time ago, they agreed that it would be easier that way. Alfred knew that Elizabeta could hold her own, but he was seriously worrying about Matthew. He was the type who seriously needed to be pushed over the edge to fight.

Alfred was debating whether to smash through the walls, just to see where he was. At the ball, the layout of the palace seemed so simple. It was clear that the building is a complicated system of doors and secret passageways.

Wonderful.

There was no other option, he could only wander and peek through different doors, even though it was driving him to the brink of insanity. Alfred tried to keep his mind focused on finding Arthur, but horrible images of Arthur being tortured, or even _murdered_ was fueling his anger. Whatever Ivan was doing to him...Alfred would give it back tenfold.

"_Black Knight."_

Alfred spun around, sword drawn. Instead of the looming figure he expected to see, instead he was met with the form a frail woman. She needed the wall for support, and clung to it desperately. Alfred immediately abandoned his weapon to help her up wondering how she could have managed to move in her condition.

"Princess, Katyusha?" Alfred asked softly, he heard rumors that her health hadn't been at its best, but didn't know that it was this bad, she was burning up and completely flushed. "Do you...er...need help with something?"

"Oh. Such a gentleman Black Knight, I was actually on my way to the kitchen to get some water."

"You can just call me Alfred. Princess, shouldn't you let your servants or maids do that for you?" Alfred inquired, helping her stumble down the hallway.

"They do too much already, I don't want to burden them anymore than I have to."

Alfred frowned at the answer, but didn't push the topic any further, instead he focused his thoughts on finding Arthur in this huge palace. He hadn't been to the place enough to know where everything was (not that he wanted to in the first place) and it was becoming frustrating.

He also wondered why the Princess wasn't suspicious of him idly wandering the halls unannounced and with a weapon! It made him a bit worried about her safety, more than just a bit.

"Hey, Princess...why aren't you...frightened?"

"Of what?"

"Of me...being here."

"It's a bit odd, but I think it's always good to have company. What brings you here?"

Even though Alfred knew that the question was bound to be asked, he was still caught a bit off-guard by it. Mostly by the calm gentle tone Katyusha used when speaking to him. It was odd, since she's one of the leaders of the extremely oppressive, horrible, Kingdom of Spades.

"Erm...well, I'm here to get someone."

"Oh? You're an escort of some sort?"

Alfred raised his eyebrow at this, did she know anything that went on these past few days? It would be better if she didn't, telling her would probably just stress her out...or something worse. Either way, it wouldn't bring any GOOD.

"Yeah...an escort. Er...the person I'm supposed to rescue- I mean, who I'm supposed to take home lost their way and ended up in the dungeon here. Do you know where it is?"

"That's terrible! That dungeon of ours is a very scary place, Alfred. I tried to get rid of it at one point."

"What happened?"

"Well, Ivan made a good point, we wouldn't have a place to put criminals. And I don't want criminals around my people, it would keep me up at night. So we kept it. But other than being scary, it's very hospitable."

"Well, I guess that's alright, but where is it?"

"Oh, it's on the door to the left of the kitchen."

"Where's the kitchen?"

"It's where we're going."

"In what direction, Princess?"

"Hm? Just turn to the right after we pass these two doors."

(*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~)

"Hey, Arthur... guess what Toris gave me." Feliciano said softly.

"He gave you something? Important?"

"Ah...well at this point it's useless."

"What is it?"

"It's um...a book...filled with spells."

"So it's a _spell-book_?"

"Ve~Yup."

"So how is it useless?"

Feliciano frowned, "I can't read it."

Arthur was quiet for a moment, of course Feliciano couldn't read it, it was way too dark. But that wasn't the only reason...was it?

"Well, you can't see your hand in front of your face as it is now. So at this point it is rather useless."

"_That_ and it's in a completely different language. So it's very hard to pronounce."

"I know a light spell that Grandpa taught me. But it only works for two minutes at a time."

"That's fine. I'm a speed reader anyway."

"Oh, okay...um...now what were the words? Ve~"

Arthur sighed and laid on his back, he couldn't shake the feeling... that Alfred was close. There was no explanation for this, but for some reason...Arthur was hopeful. It was probably from all the days of being in the dungeon, he believed that he was being a bit delusional, the thought was a bit random. Still...it's nice to be optimistic once in a while.

The blonde turned to Feliciano when his vision was suddenly flooded with a bright light. Arthur used his arm to shield his eyes!

"Feliciano! That's too bright! Can you dim it down?"

"Ve~ Oops! Sorry Arthur!" Feliciano apologized.

The light became less overwhelming shortly, and Arthur sighed in relief. He removed his arm and motioned to Feliciano, "Can I see that book now?"

(*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~)

"The dungeon...it's right downstairs." Princess Katyusha directed. She opened the secret door disguised as floor tiles.

"Can you manage getting back to your room by yourself, Princess?" Alfred asked, taking a few steps into the darkness.

"Yes I think I can, you've helped me enough anyway, and I really appreciate it." Princess Katyusha smiled before leaving the kitchen. "Please come visit me sometime. It's nice to talk with you."

Alfred sighed when she was gone, the princess really didn't know what was going on, did she?

(*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~)

Arthur jumped when the door swung open, Feliciano discontinued the spell. Heavy feet descended the stairs silently. carefully.

He began to panic.

Those weren't the footsteps of Toris or Natalia...and they were the only people who came down here.

So it could only be-

"Were you trying to escape? Ah...it's a bit too late, you two have a scheduled execution today."

King Ivan.

Arthur skimmed over spell book but memorized a disappearing spell in the process. He followed the directions, outstretched his hand, and muttered the words to the best of his ability. To his complete surprise, all the cells in the dungeon disappeared. It wasn't exactly what he hoped for...but it worked...unfortunately not to

"Feliciano run!" Arthur instructed after King Ivan grabbed him, refusing him a way to escape.

"Ve~ But I don't want to leave you Arthur! It's not fair!"

"I'll be fine! Just go!"

"Arthur..." Feliciano, torn between his limited options. He didn't know any other spells (since the illumination one he used to use as a night light.) Even if he _did _use it again, Feliciano didn't think that King Ivan would reliquish his iron grip on Arthur's arm.

"This _isn't _debatable!" the Brit yelled. "Life or death, Feliciano! I'll be fine!"

"Ve~ I'm so sorry..." Feliciano said before fleeing.

King Ivan watched Feliciano go, but didn't mind much. He knew he could just catch him later.

(*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~)

"Arthur? Feliciano?" Alfred called. He received no answer, just silence. The nearly tripped on the last step, but quickly regained his balance.

He wandered down the middle of the walk-way, cautiously, warily. Alfred made his footsteps as quiet as possible, here was no telling _what _was in here. He peered through each cell door, looking for signs of life. Listening intently for a sound. A groan... a sob...heck a freaking _cough_.

When Alfred reached the end...he found absolutely nothing.

Just an empty and abandoned cell. Alfred panicked. What if he was too late? What if Ivan murdered them long ago and tossed their corpses off a cliff into raging waters?

Or...maybe...possibly. Elizabeta and Matthew already rescued them.

"_Be optimistic, Alfred. Get a hold of yourself. Have some faith will ya?" _he thought to himself. Alfred turned and left, determined to get Arthur if it was the last thing he did.

He shoved past countless knights that tried to apprehend him, but failed miserably. The knights yelled, snarled, and muttered angry words when their suits of metal clanked harshly against the floor. Alfred could care less, anger and adrenaline fueled his stomps on the white floor. He kept his sword drawn at all times, he had no time for a serious altercation. He would be wasting time.

(*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~)

Feliciano clutched his arm, while running, he reopened a wound he didn't know he had. Or forgot about it. It didn't hurt that much anymore, but the warm red liquid that trailed down his fingertips didn't exactly give a feeling of relief. His mind was getting fuzzier, that definitely wasn't a good sign. Feliciano assumed that the massive blood loss attributed to his less than alert state of mind.

"Ah...what do I do now?" Feliciano said softly.

He looked behind him and nearly passed out from shock. An extremely _noticeable _trail of bright red blood followed him. Feliciano gasped and supressed a despaired shout. That took a bit of energy out of him, enough that he could barely stand anymore.

"I... should be far enough..." Feliciano panted, settling on the floor. "I just need...a very short...nap."

He closed his eyes for a moment...they fluttered open when he heard shouting. They became half-lidded shortly after, he was seriously about to lose consciousness. He felt himself being picked up. Fighting with the desire to close his eyes, he used the last bit of energy he had to focus his bleary vision on the person in front of him.

Light blond hair...

Icy blue eyes...

Strong arms...

* * *

**So I'm um... addicted to The Walking Dead (the Telltale Video Game anyway.)**

**And it's been affecting my dreams. (read: nightmares)**


	9. Chapter 9

"How did I end up in this situation..." Matthew muttered to himself. Elizabeta decided that the best way to sneak through the castle was to dress up as maids. He pulled at the short hem of the dress. Elizabeta casually strolled next to him a smile plastered on her face, the power she possessed to put men in dresses was astounding. Especially when she can convince them that it's the only way.

"We wouldn't want to seem suspicious do we?" Elizabeta sang merrily. "It's not like they know the names of every, single servant in the household! That's absolutely unheard of!"

"But couldn't have been a butler? It would have made more sense."

"Nah. You're too cute to pass as a butler. Butlers a smooth, charming, and seductive. With _deep, _alluring voices, and eyes that just make you want to melt! Matthew dear, you're more of a submissive, clumsy maid."

"Okay..."

"YOU! Slackers! What are you two doing?" Natalia snapped angrily. "There are intruders in the castle and we have a prisoner trying to escape." Natalia took out a large knife and chucked it at Elizabeta, she caught it flawlessly, "If you see them, take them down with this. Stay together."

"Isn't that the knights' job?" Elizabeta asked carefully.

"Those numskulls aren't smart enough to actually come across as intimidating. I'd rather gouge my own eyes out than watch those bumbling fools try to fight an enemy. Now hurry up and look for them." Natalia lifted a painting and opened a small door, she pulled out a knife dripping with a dark purple liquid. Matthew pulled Elizabeta into a room and closed the door behind him.

"Elizabeta! That knife! It's laced with a very dangerous poison."

"Poison?"

"I encountered it once, when I went to the Kingdom of Clubs a few months back. The potency of it is outrageous. If it gets into your system, it'll slowly and systematically mutate then destroy your cells. The mortality rate is... 97.4%..."

"That's horrible. W-what if she finds, Alfred!? Is there a cure? A treatment? Antidote?"

"There is, an herbal remedy that you have to make. The ingredients are almost impossible to find and cannot be conjured by magic. When you do there's a 50% chance that it'll back fire and kill the person taking it. That's the main reason why it has such a high mortality rate. "

"What do we do?"

"Split up. If we get discovered, try to disarm her. I'll look for Arthur, you look for Feliciano."

Elizabeta held out the knife, "Take this. You don't have a weapon."

"I'm not _just _a medic y'know. I used to be an assassin before I became a medic." Matthew said. He held a his hand up, it glowed green for a moment, before turning a dark red. Elizabeta shot him a worried look. " A non-lethal assassin, mind you," he clarified, "It's harmless, really it is. Usually, I just render them unconscious. The worst it that it can do is maybe a shallow gash or something. It's not life-threatening, I promise."

"A non-lethal assassin? Isn't that an oxymoron?" Elizabeta wondered aloud.

"Maybe a spy is a better word? I don't really like to use it, but in certain circumstances..."

"Does Alfred know about this?"

"No..." Matthew said sheepishly, "I'd don't think he'd like it."

"You don't think he'd like it?"

"Al's protective, y'know? He _likes _saving me when I'm in trouble. I'm perfectly capable of protecting myself, but Alfred _wants_ to, so I let him. He'd be crushed if he can't be my hero or something like that."

"Matthew, I'm sorry I called you a submissive, clumsy maid." Elizabeta stated, wide-eyed. "You're now a seductive and manipulative one. I'm highly impressed."

"Thank you?"

"Matthew. Still, _be careful._"

"You too. Good luck."

(*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~)

Arthur was strapped to a chair in the dining room. He didn't try to struggle against it, since his efforts would only be in vain. Ivan left him here and went somewhere...Arthur didn't want to think about it too much, it would only serve to make him even more nervous. The Brit hoped that Feliciano got away safely, after all, that's why he made the sacrifice.

He sighed and closed his eyes.

Now what was he to do? Arthur's first instinct was to just give up and accept his fate. It wasn't like anyone's coming to get him, not with Ivan and his crazy sister Natalia stalking around somewhere. If only he had more time to look through that spell book...maybe he could have memorized something useful.

The large mahogany door creaked open, Arthur tensed, but tried not to look afraid. He relaxed when he saw Toris enter, the brunette quickly walked the short distance from the the door to Arthur. The Englishman noticed that Toris kept his footsteps quiet. He guessed that Toris had to sneak in.

"Arthur, I have some bad news. Ivan-"

"If it's about my public execution being today, then I already know."

"Ivan's planning on poisoning you before that. He ordered me to put in in your drink before I bring out your 'last meal'." Toris explained frantically. "He wouldn't leave until I did as he told me."

"Oh, well I just won't drink anything. Thanks for the heads-up. What about the food?"

"He said that doing that is too predictable."

"That it is. Which is precisely why it was put in the drink." Ivan clarified, he chuckled for a moment when he saw Toris and Arthur's surprised faces. "However, that was supposed to be a secret. Toris."

"If it's all the same to you, I wouldn't trust anything you put in front of me." Arthur interjected. He struggled against the rope around his wrist, to his delight, it was loosening quite nicely. If he could just slip his hands out, it would be much easier to deck Ivan across the face.

"Ivan- um..." Toris stuttered.

"There's nothing you can say that I haven't already figured out." Ivan said evenly. "Giving useless information to a dead man." He sighed. "You won't drink it willingly, I can still administer it _forcefully_."

Swiftly, Ivan retrieved the goblet with liquid laced with poison, forced Arthur's mouth open and poured it in. Before the two surprised men could react, the king clamped his hand over Arthur's nose and mouth. Toris stood helplessly, his eyes wide, mouth agape.

"_Something...I have to do something." _Toris thought nervously. Knees shaking, he reached out a trembling hand but pulled back. It would be stupid to go against Ivan... and extremely dangerous. Toris found his resolve once more when he thought of Arthur, and remembered that he told him about someone waiting for him in the Kingdom of Hearts. With all the strength he had Toris yanked on Ivan's sleeve.

Caught off guard, Ivan stumbled backwards. Toris took this short moment to tend to Arthur, he released him from the chair and helped him stand.

Arthur sputtered, struggling to get air into his lung and keep from swallowing, a little managed to get down his throat. The lack of air was getting the better of him and Arthur was fading fast. He didn't know if it was because of the poison or the oxygen that he wasn't getting to his brain. Either way, it wasn't a good sign.

"Easy..." Toris said softly before was shoved to the ground by an angry king.

"Arthur!" Alfred cried bursting through the door.

"A-Alfred..." Arthur mouthed weakly. He wondered briefly if the poison was making him hallucinate. Ivan, by this time, had his arm around Arthur's throat and lifted him clear off the ground. Arthur still hadn't caught his breath, still inhaling the little air granted to him.

"Put him down now." Alfred said, drawing his sword. "And fight me."

"Why would I fight you when I already have what you want?" Ivan questioned angrily.

"No creepy façade?" Alfred taunted, "Somebody must have seriously pissed you off."

Toris looked nervously between the two men, without another word, he slipped out the door. Leaving Ivan, Alfred and Arthur. Ivan glared at the closed door.

"You could say that." Ivan said, squeezing even tighter. Arthur clawed at Ivan's hand, leaving deep, red, jagged lines. His attacker paid no mind, nor did he show any indication that he even registered that he was wounded. "Wouldn't you agree that it's unfair that I have to fight you unarmed?"

"So you accept my challenge?" Alfred asked approaching Ivan boldly. Inwardly, the knight was agonizing. Arthur was within his grasp, Alfred wanted to just run his sword through him and escape with Arthur...but it wasn't that easy. If Alfred so much as lunged at him, Ivan would strangle the life out of Arthur.

"I do. But just so there's no funny business...He stays in here. Tied to the chair." Ivan replied dropping Arthur unceremoniously to the ground. Arthur struggled to get on his hands and knees coughing. The Englishman felt far away...He was conscience, that he knew for sure. But it was like he was just an observer, everything was a dream. A weird lucid dream. Before he could find his voice, Ivan bound him to the chair then followed Alfred out the door.

"Alfred! Come back to me..." Arthur uttered just before the door closed.

Alfred turned back and winked, "That's a promise."

(*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~)

Matthew was in serious trouble. Less than five minutes passed before he ran into an enemy, the prince from the Diamond Kingdom. Gilbert Beilschmidt, heir to the throne and an arrogant, spoiled, and oddly charming. The moment he laid eyes on Matthew, Gilbert immediately approached him and began flirting shamelessly. The medic couldn't decide whether to knock him out or not.

"You're way too pretty to be just a maid." Gilbert grinned haughtily. "I could put your body to much better use."

The medic tried not to think too much about the prince's comment. "You don't even know who I am."

"But I'd like to. If you let me take you away. You look so helpless."

Matthew smirked, "I could easily take you down. You're very lewd for a royal, if you haven't been properly informed."

"A dominatrix? Sexy."

At that remark, Gilbert found himself with a hand-shaped mark across his cheek. The prince stepped back, rubbing his face tenderly. Matthew straightened his dress out and began to walk away, miffed about the ordeal. Of course he was immediately pushed against the wall by Gilbert.

"Is there something you want?" Matthew whispered harshly. "I'm on a mission."

"Oh? Well so am I. But my mission doesn't involve cleaning."

"Going to steal all the maids?" Matthew quipped sarcastically.

"Haha, so funny. I'm here with my younger brother, we snuck in here to rescue someone he's fallen hopelessly in love with. I'd don't mean to brag but, I took down twenty guards without having to use my sword! Though it was pathetic really. Didn't put up much of a fight."

Matthew just stood there, speechless.

Gilbert grinned, "Taken aback by awesomeness? Don't worry, that happens to most people when they're in my presence."

Matthew spoke slowly and softly, "Do you know the name of this person?"

"Yeah, Vargas. Feliciano Vargas. Why?"

Matthew laughed incredulously, "We're here to get Feliciano too! Him and Arthur!"

"We? Arthur? What are you talking about?"

Matthew rolled his eyes. "Since we're technically here for the same reason, I guess it's alright for me to tell you. First off, I'm a guy. My name is Matthew Williams." Gilbert eyes lit up at this. Matthew chose to ignore it. "Secondly, I was forced to dress like this. So don't go and think I enjoy doing this. Because I DON'T."

"It looks good on you. Very nice to look at."

Matthew called him a pervert under his breath and continued with his story. To his relief, Gilbert listened quietly, keeping his hands in check. Offering only sounds of surprise or nods of agreement. Matthew was mildly surprised at this, given Gilbert acted similarly to Alfred.

"Will you help me? It would be faster this way." Matthew asked when he finished his story.

"I could..." Gilbert murmured. "But what's in it for me...hmm?"

"I don't know, what do you want?"

"You become my personal maid."

"No."

"I get to grope you."

"No."

"Refer to me as 'Master' the entire time."

"Absolutely not."

"Deep kiss?"

"Maybe."

"Yes?"

"No more than five seconds."

"Deal." Gilbert wrapped an arm around Matthew's waist and pulled him closer. The intense stare Gilbert gave him before capturing his lips made Matthew blush hotly. He melted when the prince's tongue slipped softly between willingly lips. The kiss lasted way longer than the time Matthew set, not that he cared, when Gilbert pulled back, Matthew just gave him a dazed and faraway look.

"Not a word." Matthew warned, regaining his composure.

Gilbert laughed, "You got it."


	10. Chapter 10

**Hey guys! This wonderful little chapter is rated M. It's my absolute first time writing something this...er... intense. After extensive research (reading a whole bunch of M fanfics) I present the hottest chapter of the story!**

**HAPPY NEW YEAR! **

** Enjoy!**

* * *

Alfred, having escaped with a very delirious Arthur in his arms, ran through the woods at top speed. He tried not to think of anything other than getting him to safety. He bit back a flash of rage and mentally berated himself for leaving Elizaveta and his little brother in Spades. Even though they assured him they'd be fine, it still gave him a bad feeling in his stomach. The Englishman groaned in what Alfred could only interpret as pain.

He needed to find somewhere that Arthur would be safe. Alfred had very basic knowledge about many poisons and what they did to the body, but he needed to check him out as soon as possible. The ex-knight quickly spotted an abandoned shack in the middle of the forest, one that him and Matthew used to play in years ago. Luckily, Matthew made a habit of keeping it clean, despite them having outgrown playing pretend.

After kicking open the door, Alfred gently laid the bewildered man on a bed. He pushed his bangs away from his eyes and surveyed what kind of damage he endured. He checked Arthur's vital areas first (something he picked up from Matthew) and sighed in relief when he found nothing wrong. He did note however the way Arthur's breathing slightly began more ragged when he touched him. That was definitely odd. Arthur's skin was hot to the touch, there was no doubt he had a fever.

"I'm getting you water." Alfred told Arthur before he disappeared into the hallway.

Arthur weakly attempted to sit up, surprising himself at how much effort that took. He was burning hot and realized that he was not poisoned...but drugged. He shrugged out of the dress shirt he was given a few hours before. This didn't help much. If Arthur didn't know any better, he would have guessed that he was given an aphrodisiac. That would explain the odd sensitivity of his body. The erratic beating of his heart wasn't slowing down, though it was mostly caused by being so close to Alfred.

When Alfred reappeared, he nearly dropped the glass of water at the sight of Arthur in such disarray. In his struggled of removing his clothing, he managed to twist himself in the covers of the bed. He laid sprawled on the bed, breathing heavily. Pale skin flashed between pieces of fabric, his meekly attempting to free himself.

The Englishman managed to disentangle himself, Alfred sat on the edge of the bed waiting for Arthur to take the water. A small moment of skin-to-skin contact occurred when their fingertips brushed, causing Arthur to flush and pull back quickly.

"Erm...sorry. I didn't mean to r-react like that." Arthur stuttered. He downed the cup and set it on the nightstand beside him.

Without warning, Alfred wrapped his arms around the Englishman's small frame, burying his face into his shoulder, "I'm so glad you're alive, Arthur. Beyond glad, I'm ecstatic. It killed me inside not knowing when the execution would take place. Though I'm sorry I didn't get to you sooner...and you got hurt."

"I'm fine," Arthur's heart skipped a beat at Alfred's concerned tone, "It was rather odd not having a loud-mouthed bugger yelling in my ear." Arthur joked, his cheeks darkened all the more. "Unbearable at times."

"Oh? I'm here now..." Alfred smirked putting his hands on Arthur's shoulders, rubbing slow circles.

"Ah...A-Alfred stop it!" Arthur snapped, he willed himself to straighten up, away from those electric fingers.

"Crap, you're still in pain aren't you? Sorry!" Alfred awkwardly released the smaller man.

"It's okay. It's not painful." Arthur assured. He shifted in the bed and looked into Alfred's worried blue eyes. The Englishman leaned in, his eyes closing. It seemed he was moving too slow for Alfred because in less than 5 seconds, Arthur found himself in the knight's lap being kissed feverishly. Arthur was caught off-guard for a moment but he quickly recovered, parting his lips slightly. Taking advantage of this opportunity, Alfred slipped his tongue in.

Arthur poured every emotion into that one passionate kiss, he hoped that Alfred could feel just how much he missed him, how scared he was- how scared he is_ now_. The parted, both of them breathing heavily and staring at each other in complete adoration.

"This is how..." Arthur panted. "You get rid of the drug, Alfred."

Alfred brightened, "Really? So you're better now?"

"N-not just yet. We have to..."

"Yeah?"

"Argh! Take a hint!"

"Hint?"

Arthur sighed, swallowed his pride, and teasingly unbuttoned then shrugged out of the white dress shirt. He stared sheepishly at Alfred when he removed the article of clothing, his arms wrapped around himself. This was a half-hearted attempt at covering himself up."A-Alfred...touch me. Please."

Calloused fingers carded through short choppy blond hair. Alfred noted the unique texture of the smaller man's hair. It stuck out in all directions, yet it managed to be soft and silky He slanted his mouth against Arthur's, this kiss was more feverish, desperate. Alfred pulled Arthur into his lap, teasing erect pink nubs. The Englishman pulled away, a small string of saliva still connecting them. He let out a breathy moan while Alfred tweaked, pinched, and pulled on his nipples.

He changed their positions, so that Arthur was no longer sitting in Alfred's lap, but laying on his bed staring up at Alfred. His mouth splayed open, letting out little pants of air, a thin line of saliva trailed down the side of his mouth.

Alfred was thoroughly enjoying how much Arthur was responding to the simple foreplay. The slightest movement made his breath hitch or break out into pants. He could feel his temperature rise ever so slightly with each mark he left. He couldn't hide the small smirk that crept up on him. Arthur pouted and tugged on Alfred's shirt, a silent way of demanding him to, '_take off the shirt.'_

The knight discarded his piece of clothing quickly, Arthur staring shamelessly at his flat abs. He hoped he wasn't too obvious with his gaping, but his hopes were immediately dashed against jagged rocks when Alfred's eyes met his. Alfred smirked and flexed provocatively, "You're staring so much Artie. I'm guessing you like what you see?"

Blushing brighter than ever, Arthur hid his face in the pillow. He had no idea why he was so embarrassed about seeing Alfred half-naked, especially since he was naked himself. In most cases, _Alfred_ should be the one blushing red.

Alfred hovered over him, whispering in his ear lowly, "All you told me to do was touch you, do you...want to go further?"

Arthur answered by rolling over and crashing his lips against Alfred's, the kiss was cut short when the knight briefly pressed his arousal against Arthur's. The feeling was electric, he shivered and involuntarily arched off the bed, hissing in pleasure.

"Alfred...Ah..." Arthur murmured as Alfred continued his movements. "I want...hah...I want to go...all t-the way."

Alfred stopped, his expression like he was caught off-guard, "What?"

"Why'd you stop?" Arthur mumbled, desperately seeking friction.

Alfred held his hips down firmly and looked into bleary green eyes, "Repeat that?"

Arthur immediately switched from submissive to seductive (caused by an additive Ivan put in) in a matter of seconds, he pushed Alfred off of him and climbed on top. Straddling the knight, who was a bit bewildered by how quickly Arthur was able to execute this in his condition.

"Alfie..." Arthur pouted, he traced small circles on Alfred's well-defined chest. "You keep teasing me and I don't like it," his pout turned into a playful smile, he boldly palmed Alfred through his pants, "though, y'know...I can do the Exact. Same. Thing." Arthur punctuated those last words with small squeezes, making Alfred groan. The Englishman alternated between rubbing and applying the slightest bit of pressure.

In retaliation, Alfred pulled Arthur in for a dizzying kiss, nearly making the older man pass out from the lack of oxygen he was getting. Arthur instantly melted, the seductive act completely drained out of him, letting Alfred reclaim his spot on top of the Brit. In this adrenaline filled moment, Arthur slanted his lips against Alfred, letting the younger of the two explore the other's mouth. Arthur ground their hardening arousals together.

"E-enough... with the foreplay" Arthur breathed.

Alfred was out of breath too, "What happened to the sexy act?" he smirked, "It was a complete turn-on."

Before Arthur could answer, Alfred dragged his tongue down the older man's abdomen, making sure to flick it across all the dips and curves that Arthur's body offered. Alfred noticed that his body was overly sensitive, the way he squirmed as his tongue neared the neglected erection. Alfred slipped off both Arthur's pants and underwear, he made sure to make it excruciatingly slow.

"Ah...hah...nngh." Arthur bit his finger, trying to stifle his moans.

Alfred teased Arthur's slit, rubbing small circles, adding pressure as he progressed. He gave a lazy lick to it before taking it into his mouth. Arthur eyes widened and he threw his head back with a breathy moan, pleasure coursed through his body. He threaded his fingers into dark blonde hair, Arthur felt _everything._ Alfred smirked, humming as he bobbed his head.

Fingers trailed the back his legs, Alfred didn't know, but the back of his knee was Arthur's weak point. With the aphrodisiac in his system, the sensitivity greatly increased. Alfred brushed the delicate area before Arthur came with a shuddering moan. Alfred pulled back and watched Arthur's chest rise and fall rapidly.

Alfred left the bed, quickly going through a drawer on the far side of the bedroom. When he returned with a small opaque tube, Alfred found that Arthur was aroused once again and on all fours. The Brit impaled himself with a single slick finger covered in saliva, Alfred's name on his lips. Alfred poured a generous amount on his fingers, and hovered over Arthur, sliding one digit in alongside Arthur's. He met some resistance from the tight hole.

"Alfred! What are you-ah!" Arthur protested before Alfred brushed against a spot that he couldn't reach himself. The darker blonde kissed the fading scar on Arthur's back and added another finger. Arthur tensed as a dull pain coursed through his lower back. He removed his own finger to lessen the pain.

"Relax..." Alfred coaxed, adding another finger, replacing the one Arthur pulled out. He scissored Arthur's entrance. "You're still so tight, are you a virgin?"

"Shut up...I'm not," Arthur mumbled, trying to keep his voice in check. "It's...been a while."

Alfred smirked, "I can tell."

Pulling his fingers out, Alfred silenced Arthur's remarks as he reached for the lube once more. After covering his length, he pulled Arthur's hips higher into the air and positioned himself at Arthur's entrance. This was when Alfred hesitated for a moment, worrying about the smaller man's body. "Arthur...you know at this point there's no going back, right?"

"You're saying this now?" Arthur huffed.

"I know! I know! I mean, this is just...well, it's _going_ to hurt. Even though I prepared you well enough to ease most of the pain," Alfred began to sound slightly panicked, "You've been through a lot already...and the strain on you-"

"Alfred...in case you haven't _noticed_, I'm beyond the point of caring about my well being."

"But-"

"Alfred!"

Alfred flipped Arthur over spread his legs, "I want to see your face, contorted in pleasure, hear every moan, gasp, and groan you make." Arthur's darkening blush egged Alfred on. "And so you know, I won't hold back. I will make you _scream._

Arthur's skin tingled at the lust-laced threat, letting Alfred have complete control. He tried not to make a sound, but his body responded strongly to every move Alfred made. True to his word, Alfred was being rough. But not to the point of pain. Arthur arched his back off of the bed and jerked his hips forward, driving Alfred deeper inside him.

"Hah...you're tightening around me already...you close?" Alfred commented.

"It's because you're moving so...ah! There!" Arthur cried raking his nails down Alfred's back. "Alfred...again...please."

The knight almost stopped completely, he wanted to hear Arthur beg for him again. Something about his panting, needy body language, and breathy voice drove Alfred nearly insane. He slowed his movements considerably, taking in the soft protests and whines of the smaller man.

"What did you say you wanted me to do?" Alfred murmured before blowing into Arthur's ear, "Tell me...or I won't understand."

Arthur glared at him with all the ferocity he could muster, but it immediately returned back to its original hazy state when Alfred snapped his hips forward. Arthur responded by giving Alfred a passion-filled kiss. "Take me... make me yours. Please...hurry..."

"Can I mark you?" Alfred asked, picking up his already punishing speed.

"God...sure! Do whatever you want!"

Alfred stopped and tilted Arthur's head, exposing the small heart-shaped birthmark. He licked it slowly before nipping it, unknown pleasure ripped through Arthur's body, he cried out in ecstasy gasping Alfred's name and spilling out onto the sheets.

At the sight of Arthur, Alfred did the same, murmuring Arthur's name. The room was silent... except for the slow steady breathing of the two men. Alfred rolled over to his side smiling softly at Arthur, who chose to wrap himself in the covers. He looked like a caterpillar in its cocoon. Alfred held back a laugh and pulled the bundle of blue to his chest.

"I love you, Arthur." Alfred said softly.

Poking his head out, Arthur gave Alfred a quick peck and settled his head against the knight's chest. "I love you too...thanks for saving me. And-"

"And?"

"WHAT was that?"

"What was what?"

"When you gave me that hickey?"

"What's that?"

Arthur huffed, "When you 'marked' me."

"Well, when you mark someone, that person is bonded to you?"

"I don't understand."

"That's the only way I can explain it." Alfred frowned. "You can ask Elizaveta at some point."

"You should sleep, Alfred." Arthur mumbled, closing his eyes. "You've been through a lot."

"I could say the same to you." Alfred replied, sliding a hand through Arthur's hair. He yawned. "But the worst is over now."

* * *

**My face the entire time I wrote this...I couldn't keep a straight face AT ALL. I let one of my friends read the rough draft, yeah...wasn't one of my better ideas.**

**In other news...**

**I am so in love with BBC Sherlock adaptation it's ridiculous. Sherlock x John I think is my new OTP. I highly recommend it to ANYONE.**

**AND HETALIA SEASON 5 IS ALMOST HERE! I saw the trailer and the animation left me in tears of joys, I'm looking forward to it.**

**I hope you enjoyed my first smut fest, it took a lot to write it! See you next chapter!**


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